The Week in Chess 320

THE WEEK IN CHESS 320 25th December 2000 by Mark Crowther

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1) Introduction

My thanks to Carlo Mazzoni, Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Sinisa Joksic, Adolivio Capece, Pam Thomas, John Fernandez, Adam Raoof and all those who helped with this issue.

Just a quick issue on Christmas day. Of course the main story of the week is the new FIDE World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. His victory was a deserved one for one of the most talented players in the World. He has been a consistant performer in world championship cycles for nearly a decade and this result could be just the start. With Kramnik's defeat of Kasparov earlier in the year in the Braingames championships this could be the start of a major rivalry at the top of the game. Kasparov's reaction will also be interesting and all three play in Wijk aan Zee in January. I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a great New Year.

Hope you enjoy this issue

2) Viswanathan Anand wins FIDE Championship

The FIDE World Chess Championships took place in New Delhi, India and Tehran, Iran, 25 November - 27 December 2000.

Anand is the FIDE World Chess Champion he beat Shirov 3.5-0.5. After a draw in game one Anand won the next three games to take the title in the six game match. Game two saw a 5. ...Bc5 Ruy Lopez with Anand as white converting a small initiative into a favourable endgame and then a win. Shirov played too speculatively in game three and went down to a second loss in a Sicilian with white in game three. In a last ditch effort to get back into the match Shirov generated tremendous complications with the black pieces in a French defence in game four but Anand reacted calmly and survived with a winning position. Shirov resigned on move 41. Anand was undefeated throughout the event and only had one losing position, against defending champion Alexander Khalifman in the quarter finals. He undoubtably played the best chess in the event.

The winner Anand should receive $528,000 and the loser Shirov $316,000 although given the problems that Khalifman and others had getting paid last time (they all did get paid in full in the end) and talk of some bouncing cheques this we await confirmation of payments.

Anand, having put himself in a position to win World titles on a number of occasions this now relieves the pressure on Anand. He has used his experience of the past to win this title and now whatever happens has his place in history. This year after a slow start at Linares and the Amber Rapid tournament Anand has recovered and started playing chess on a level with his previous highs in 1995 (on the run up to playing Kasparov where many good judges thought he was world number one) and in 1998. He went through these Championships undefeated with 8 wins and 12 draws. Surely he can only go from strength to strength. In sport they say the first World title is the hardest, Anand is off the mark, is there a limit to what can he achieve now?

Although his performance in the final will be a disappointment to him Shirov too has improved his standing. It is to be hoped that he can resolve the remaining problems he has following his victory over Kramnik and his subsequent non-payment and draw a line under that episode. My feeling is that although playing well he hasn't reached the heights of two years ago but he is well on the way back there. In particular if he can recover some solidity with black especially against his other elite rivals he can go on to great successes. His performance of 8 wins and 12 draws matches that of Anand but the 6 losses tell a tale of their own. This is the area Shirov needs to look at.

The appearance of a no doubt fired up Garry Kasparov, his conqueror Vladimir Kramnik, with Viswanathan Anand and Alexei Shirov together in the Wijk aan Zee tournament January 12th-28th 2001 is the definite start of a new era.

Official internet coverage: http://wcc2000.fide.com/

You can read a very interesting interview Anand gave to Rakesh Rao for the Indian newspaper The Hindu just prior to the start of the final at: http://www.the-hindu.com/stories/0723020e.htm

There was an interesting interview given by Shirov to Hartmut Metz which is published on the website of the German Chess Club Rochade Kuppenheim. http://www.rochadekuppenheim.de/ at: http://www.rochadekuppenheim.de/meko/shirov.html

Results Section

FIDE World Chess Championships Final in Tehran, Iran. December 20th-27th 2000.

Shirov, Alexei      -  Anand, Viswanathan  1/2   34  C02  French Advance Variation
Anand, Viswanathan  -  Shirov, Alexei      1-0   64  C78  Ruy Lopez (Moeller Defence)
Shirov, Alexei      -  Anand, Viswanathan  0-1   41  B49  Sicilian Defence (Paulsen Variation)
Anand, Viswanathan  -  Shirov, Alexei      1-0   41  C11  French Defence


FIDE World Championships Tehran IRI (IRI), 20-26 xii 2000
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 1   2   3   4   5   6 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Anand, Viswanathan g  IND 2762    =   1   1   1   .   .   3.5  3082
Shirov, Alexei     g  ESP 2746    =   0   0   0   .   .   0.5  2440
-------------------------------------------------------------------

3) XIII Carlos Torre Memorial

The XIII Carlos Torre Memorial took place in Merida, Mexico December 15th-22nd 2000. Valerij Filippov won the event with 7/9 half a point clear of Victor Mikhalevski and Aleksander Wojtkiewicz on 6.5.

Internet coverage: http://fi.uady.mx/aay/torre/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XIII Carlos Torre Memorial Open Merida MEX (MEX), 15-22 xii 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1. Filippov, Valerij           g  RUS 2593  7.0  46.5  35.25  35.5  2601 2723 +1.33
 2. Mikhalevski, Victor         g  ISR 2532  6.5  50.0  35.00  36.5  2532 2683 +1.82
 3. Wojtkiewicz, Aleksander     g  POL 2581  6.5  50.5  33.00  34.5  2579 2636 +0.54
 4. Arencibia, Walter           g  CUB 2513  6.0  46.0  28.50  32.0  2513 2590 +0.87 
 5. Garmendez, Florentino       f  MEX 2385  6.0  46.5  27.50  28.5  2385 2584 +2.12 
 6. Escobedo Tinajero, Alberto  f  MEX 2381  6.0  43.5  27.50  26.5  2381 2572 +2.31 
 7. Miles, Anthony J            g  ENG 2584  5.5  50.5  30.00  30.5  2578 2560 -0.17 
 8. Hernandez, Gilberto         g  MEX 2572  5.5  46.5  26.00  30.5  2572 2557 -0.17 
 9. Mitkov, Nikola              g  MKD 2532  5.5  42.0  23.00  29.5  2532 2514 -0.17 
10. Vera, Reynaldo              g  CUB 2584  5.5  49.0  28.25  29.5  2584 2556 -0.35 
11. Kudrin, Sergey              g  USA 2514  5.5  43.0  24.75  29.0  2518 2514 -0.08 
12. Sammalvuo, Tapani           m  FIN 2388  5.5  39.0  19.00  25.5  2417 2443 +0.28 
13. Gonzalez, Juan Carlos       f  CUB 2531  5.0  45.5  23.00  30.0  2531 2505 -0.40 
14. Martin del Campo, Roberto   m  MEX 2422  5.0  42.5  21.25  27.0  2422 2485 +0.77 
15. Volzhin, Alexander          g  RUS 2556  5.0  44.0  22.75  26.0  2547 2453 -1.12 
16. Strikovic, Aleksa           g  YUG 2490  5.0  45.0  21.75  25.0  2491 2473 -0.22 
17. Garcia Martinez, Silvino    g  CUB 2442  5.0  37.0  19.25  22.0  2442 2372 -0.85 
18. Huerta, Ramon               m  CUB 2278  5.0  33.5  17.25  18.0  2278 2358 +0.95 
19. Amura, Claudia N            wg ARG 2351  4.5  44.5  21.50  24.5  2346 2469 +1.53 
20. Blanco Fernandez, Alvaro    f  CUB 2371  4.5  46.5  19.25  23.5  2371 2435 +0.81 
21. Espinosa, Rafael MEX        m  MEX 2406  4.5  36.5  15.25  23.0  2406 2360 -0.54 
22. Estrada Nieto, Julian       m  MEX 2397  4.5  41.0  18.00  22.5  2396 2390 -0.09 
23. Frey, Kenneth               m  MEX 2405  4.5  36.0  15.00  20.5  2405 2363 -0.54 
40 players

4) Israeli Championships

The Israeli Championships are taking place in the Sol&Sissy Center in Ramat Aviv (Tel Aviv) and the later rounds in Modiin. It runs 17th-28th December 2000.

Internet coverage: http://www.slavchess.co.il/academy/isrch.html

Round 3 standings:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ch-ISR Ramat-Aviv/Modiin ISR (ISR), 17-28 xii 2000      cat. XI (2512)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Avrukh, Boris       g ISR 2625  * . = . . . . . . 1 . 1  2.5  2740 
 2. Sutovsky, Emil      g ISR 2609  . * . . . = . 1 = . . .  2.0  2668 
 3. Gershon, Alik       m ISR 2502  = . * = . . . . . . . 1  2.0  2596 
 4. Bar, Roman            ISR 2354  . . = * . . = . . . = .  1.5  2476 
 5. Golod, Vitali       g ISR 2590  . . . . * = = = . . . .  1.5  2486 
 6. Tseitlin, Mark D    g ISR 2445  . = . . = * . . . = . .  1.5  2555 
 7. Roiz, Michael         ISR 2440  . . . = = . * . . . = .  1.5  2477 
 8. Huzman, Alexander   g ISR 2574  . 0 . . = . . * . . 1 .  1.5  2562 
 9. Psakhis, Lev        g ISR 2611  . = . . . . . . * = . =  1.5  2503 
10. Finkel, Alexander   g ISR 2467  0 . . . . = . . = * . .  1.0  2435 
11. Kaspi, Alexander    m ISR 2488  . . . = . . = 0 . . * .  1.0  2331 
12. Postny, Evgeny      m ISR 2434  0 . 0 . . . . . = . . *  0.5  2306 
----------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
ch-ISR Women Ramat-Aviv/Modiin ISR (ISR), 17-28 xii 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Borsuk, Angela          wg ISR 2303  * . . . . 1 . . 1 1  3.0       
 2. Tsifanskaya, Ludmila A  wm ISR 2206  . * . . . = . 1 . 1  2.5  2394 
 3. Pitam, Ela              wg ISR 2323  . . * 1 = . = . . .  2.0  2284 
 4. Len, Irina                 ISR 2118  . . 0 * 1 . . . 1 .  2.0  2253 
 5. Baron, Irena               POL 2010  . . = 0 * . . 1 . .  1.5  2177 
 6. Mamantov, Margarita        ISR 2111  0 = . . . * . . 1 .  1.5  2186 
 7. Klinova, Masha          wg ISR 2350  . . = . . . * 0 . 1  1.5  2192 
 8. Vovinkina, Natalia         ISR 2090  . 0 . . 0 . 1 * . .  1.0  2063 
 9. Dotan, Valeria             ISR 2051  0 . . 0 . 0 . . * .  0.0       
10. Igla, Bella                RUS 2164  0 0 . . . . 0 . . *  0.0       
------------------------------------------------------------------------

5) 2nd York Vikings Chess Festival

The second York Vikings Chess Festival took place 13th-22nd December 2000. The venue was once again be the Lady Anne Middleton's Hotel. Jonathan Rowson won the GMA event with 7/9 half a point clear of Julian Hodgson. My thanks to Adam Raoof.

Internet coverage: http://www.circuit.demon.co.uk/york2.htm

Final standings:
2nd York Viking Chess Festival GMA ENG (ENG), 13-22 xii 2000cat. XII (2539)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                      1  2  3  4  5  6 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1 Rowson, Jonathan        g SCO 2494 ** == 1= == =1 11  7.0  2696
2 Hodgson, Julian M       g ENG 2640 == ** =1 1= 01 =1  6.5  2628
3 Hector, Jonny           g SWE 2509 0= =0 ** 10 11 0=  4.5  2508
4 Barsov, Alexei          g UZB 2534 == 0= 01 ** =0 =1  4.5  2503
5 Wells, Peter K          g ENG 2506 =0 10 00 =1 ** 1=  4.5  2509
6 Hillarp Persson, Tiger  g SWE 2549 00 =0 1= =0 0= **  3.0  2387
-----------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd York Viking Chess Festival GMB ENG (ENG), 13-22 xii 2000cat. VIII (2427)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Heidenfeld, Mark       m IRL 2375  * = = 1 0 = 1 = 1 =  5.5  2512 
 2. Summerscale, Aaron     g ENG 2459  = * 0 = 1 = 1 1 = 0  5.0  2466 
 3. Van der Weide, Karel   m NED 2467  = 1 * = = 1 0 = = =  5.0  2465 
 4. Arkell, Keith C        g ENG 2481  0 = = * 1 = = 1 = =  5.0  2463 
 5. Gormally, Daniel       m ENG 2499  1 0 = 0 * 1 = = = 1  5.0  2461 
 6. Knott, Simon J.B       f ENG 2381  = = 0 = 0 * = 1 1 =  4.5  2431 
 7. McNab, Colin A         g SCO 2416  0 0 1 = = = * 0 1 1  4.5  2427 
 8. Bakre, Tejas           m IND 2358  = 0 = 0 = 0 1 * = 1  4.0  2391 
 9. Fontaine, Robert       m FRA 2449  0 = = = = 0 0 = * 1  3.5  2344 
10. Quinn, Mark            f IRL 2381  = 1 = = 0 = 0 0 0 *  3.0  2306 
---------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd York Viking Chess Festival IM ENG (ENG), 13-22 xii 2000cat. II (2287)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Bosch, Jeroen        m NED 2405  * = 1 = = = 1 1 1 1  7.0  2494 
 2. Palliser, Richard    f ENG 2322  = * = = 1 = 1 1 1 1  7.0  2503 
 3. Bergstrom, Rolf      f SWE 2308  0 = * 1 1 1 = 0 1 1  6.0  2410 
 4. Ryan, Joseph           IRL 2291  = = 0 * 0 = 1 1 1 1  5.5  2367 
 5. Marusenko, Petr      m UKR 2327  = 0 0 1 * 0 = = 1 1  4.5  2283 
 6. Aarthie, Ramaswamy  wf IND 2319  = = 0 = 1 * 0 1 0 =  4.0  2240 
 7. Krutti, Valer        m HUN 2397  0 0 = 0 = 1 * = = 1  4.0  2232 
 8. Taylor, Peter          ENG 2191  0 0 1 0 = 0 = * = =  3.0  2173 
 9. Lamb, Harry            ENG 2166  0 0 0 0 0 1 = = * =  2.5  2134 
10. Goodger, Martyn        ENG 2148  0 0 0 0 0 = 0 = = *  1.5  2029 
--------------------------------------------------------------------

6) Kastav Tournament

There is a tournament in Kastav, Croatia December 12th-21st December 2000. Faruk Bistric won the event with 6.5/9 a point and a half clear of Ivan Zaja and Josip Rukavina on 5. Games to round 7 available.

Internet coverage at: http://sah.posluh.hr/gmk.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------
It Kastav CRO (CRO), 12-21 xii 2000                  cat. IX (2453)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Bistric, Faruk       m BIH 2451  * 1 = 0 0 1 1 1 1 1  6.5  2618 
 2. Zaja, Ivan           m CRO 2513  0 * 1 1 1 = = = = 0  5.0  2489 
 3. Rukavina, Josip      m CRO 2425  = 0 * = 1 = = = = 1  5.0  2498 
 4. Jakubovic, Nedzad      BIH 2388  1 0 = * = 0 1 0 = 1  4.5  2459 
 5. Petrov, Jole           CRO 2426  1 0 0 = * 1 0 = = 1  4.5  2455 
 6. Inkiov, Ventzislav   g BUL 2416  0 = = 1 0 * = 1 = =  4.5  2456 
 7. Cebalo, Miso         g CRO 2520  0 = = 0 1 = * = 1 =  4.5  2445 
 8. Golubovic, Boris     m CRO 2466  0 = = 1 = 0 = * = 0  3.5  2371 
 9. Velikov, Petar       g BUL 2464  0 = = = = = 0 = * =  3.5  2371 
10. Fercec, Nenad        m CRO 2458  0 1 0 0 0 = = 1 = *  3.5  2372 
-------------------------------------------------------------------

7) Salou Open

There 2nd Salou (Spain) Open took place 12th-21st December 2000. Viktor Moskalenko took first place on tie-break from Vladimir Georgiev both scoring 7/9. Games from the first four rounds only are available.

Internet coverage: http://opensalou.eresmas.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Open Salou ESP (ESP), 12-21 xii 2000
-------------------------------------------------------------------

 1. Moskalenko, Viktor              g  UKR 2508  7.0 47.5 40.5 50.5
 2. Georgiev, Vladimir              g  BUL 2564  7.0 45.5 38.5 50.0
 3. Korneev, Oleg                   g  RUS 2619  6.5 49.0 42.0 52.5
 4. Kovacevic, Aleksandar           m  YUG 2513  6.5 47.0 40.0 51.5
 5. Kogan, Artur                    g  ISR 2504  6.5 45.0 38.5 49.0
 6. Paragua, Mark                      PHI 2423  6.5 44.5 37.5 47.0
 7. Chabanon, Jean-Luc              m  FRA 2428  6.5 41.5 34.5 43.5
 8. Stefanova, Antoaneta            m  BUL 2514  6.0 45.5 38.5 49.0
 9. Janev, Evgeni                      BUL 2413  6.0 44.5 38.0 48.0
10. Bauer, Christian                g  FRA 2562  6.0 44.0 37.5 48.5
11. Lazarev, Vladimir               m  RUS 2478  6.0 38.5 33.0 41.0
12. Ivanisevic, Ivan                g  YUG 2530  5.5 46.5 40.0 51.0
13. Oratovsky, Michael              m  ISR 2486  5.5 46.5 39.5 50.5
14. Gofshtein, Leonid D             g  ISR 2561  5.5 46.0 39.0 50.5
15. Pogorelov, Ruslan               g  UKR 2445  5.5 46.0 39.0 50.0
16. Kolev, Atanas                   g  BUL 2582  5.5 45.5 38.5 48.5
17. Hamdouchi, Hichem               g  MAR 2541  5.5 45.0 38.5 50.0
18. Komljenovic, Davor              g  CRO 2514  5.5 45.0 38.5 49.0
19. Aleksieva, Silvia               wg BUL 2351  5.5 44.5 38.0 47.5
20. Ivanov, Jordan                  m  BUL 2461  5.5 42.0 36.0 46.0
21. Velasco Blasco,Juan                ESP ----  5.5 40.0 33.5 43.0
22. Safranska, Anda                 wg LAT 2337  5.5 28.0 22.5 28.0
23. Fiorito, Fabian                 m  ARG 2418  5.0 44.0 37.0 46.0
78 players

8) Koltanowski Memorial

The Koltanowski Memorial took place in the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. First place was taken by Yuri Shulman with 7/9 half a point clear of Jaan Ehlvest, Jesse Kraai and Mladen Vucic on 6.5.

IM norms were scored by Jessie Kraai (his 3rd), Cyrus Lakdawala, and Vladimir Mezentsev.

Internet coverage: http://www.chessclub.org/december.html and http://www.milibrary.org/

Leading final standings:
Koltanowski Mem San Francisco USA (USA), 14-22 xii 2000
-------------------------------------------------------
 1. Shulman, Yuri          g  BLR 2548  7.0
 2. Ehlvest, Jaan          g  EST 2627  6.5
 3. Kraai, Jesse           f  USA 2430  6.5
 4. Vucic, Mladen          m  USA 2346  6.5
 5. Donaldson, John W      m  USA 2396  6.0
 6. Mezentsev, V              RUS 2376  6.0
 7. Lakdawala, Cyrus       f  USA 2434  6.0
 8. Schiller, Eric            USA 2172  6.0
50 players

9) Zadar Christmas Open

The Zadar (Croatia) Christmas Open took place 9th-17th December 2000. The winner was Alexander Vaulin who had a superior tie-break to Robert Loncar both scored 7/9.

Internet coverage: http://sites.netscape.net/mladen18/zd2000/index.htm

Zadar Open CRO (CRO), 9-17 xii 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------
 1. Vaulin, Alexander        g  RUS 2552   7        40.0  50.0
 2. Loncar, Robert           m  CRO 2415   7        39.0  48.0
 3. Berelovich, Aleksandar   g  UKR 2517   6.5      42.0  53.0
 4. Savchenko, Stanislav     g  UKR 2579   6.5      41.0  53.0
 5. Totsky, Leonid           m  RUS 2521   6.5      40.5  52.0
 6. Delchev, Aleksander      g  BUL 2557   6.5      40.0  52.0
 7. Mestrovic, Zvonimir      m  SLO 2434   6.5      36.5  46.5
 8. Goloshchapov, Alexander  g  UKR 2526   6        41.5  52.0
 9. Gagarin, Vasilij         m  RUS 2395   6        41.0  52.5
10. Sitnik, Igor                SLO 2336   6        38.0  48.5
11. Rezan, Sasa                 CRO 2307   6        37.0  47.0
12. Rashkovsky, Nukhim N     g  RUS 2508   6        36.0  46.5
13. Jovanic, Ognjen          f  CRO 2313   6        36.0  46.0
14. Kljako, Damir               CRO 2258   6        35.5  46.0
15. Kovacevic, Blazimir      m  CRO 2443   6        35.0  45.0
16. Ljubicic, Filip          m  CRO 2384   5.5      40.0  51.0
17. Krstic, Uros                CRO 2375   5.5      35.0  45.5
18. Zufic, Miroslav             CRO 2223   5.5      33.0  42.0
19. Djingarova, Emilia          BUL 2263   5.5      32.5  42.5
20. Jakic, Ivan                 CRO 2272   5.5      29.0  38.0
21. Lalic, Bogdan            g  ENG 2520   5        40.0  51.0
22. Biliskov, Vjekoslav      f  CRO 2321   5        37.5  48.0
23. Zelic, Mladen            f  CRO 2296   5        36.0  46.5
70 players

10) Yugoslav Women's Team Championships

Sinisa Joksic reports: The 1st Yugoslav Women League took place in Kragujevac December 11-22, 2000.

Final standings: 
 1. BAS (Belgrade)             30.5 (44)
 2. Agrouniverzal (Belgrade)   30.0
 3. Gosa (Smederevska Palanka) 27.0
 4. Rad (Belgrade)             25.0
 5. Privredna Banka (Novi Sad) 22.0
 6. Internet (Podgorica)       21.5
 7. Beko (Belgrade)            21.0
 8. GSP Polet (Belgrade)       20.0
 9. Partizan (Belgrade)        18.5
10. JAT (Belgrade)             17.5
11. Pozarevacki SK             17.5
12. Dubocica (Leskovac)        13.5

The Organisation was very good. The best players were tired after the Olympiad and FIDE Championships. The winning team BAS played WGM Bojkovic (5.5/10 games and one forfeit), WGM Almira Skipchenco-Lautier (MDA), WGM Maria Manakova 10 (11) which was the best result in the league, WGM Sanja Kalevic, WIM Gordana Markovic and WIM Maja Kostic. BAS Chess Club only has a women's team. (BAS is Belgrade's Bus Station) There were a few minuses in the championships with 71 short games and 4 forfeited games.

Internet coverage including detailed results: http://avala.yubc.net/~yuchess/LIGA/liga.htm

11) IV Cali Open

The IV International Open in the Santiago de Cali took place 16th-22nd December 2000. Lazaro Bruzon, Gildardo Garcia and Thomas Luther were amongst those finishing on 7/9. Final standings in detail not yet available but games from all nine rounds are.

Internet coverage: http://www.elmuelle.com/lav/

12) 76th Hastings Chess Congress

The 76th Hastings International Chess Congress will take place from the 28th December 2000 to 7th January 2001. This year it will be held at a new venue which should greatly enhance the event. It will be played under one roof at the new £4.5 million Horntye Park Sports Complex which opened in the late Spring.

The lineup for the Premier is: Jon Speelman, Stuart Conquest, Jim Plaskett, Daniel Gormally, Matthew Turner, Sergei Beshukov, Zhang Zhong, Lubomir Ftacnik, Krishnan Sasikiran and Levon Aronian.

Further details: http://www.hastingschess.org.uk

Contact Pam Thomas Tel/Fax 01424 445348 e-mail dmt123@compuserve.com

13) Reggio Emilia

The 2000-1 "Torneo di Capodanno" di Reggio Emilia, Italy, isn't a big category edition but will take place keeping its 43 year tradition. It will be Category 8 and takes place December 30th 2000 to January, 7th, 2001 nine rounds without rest day.

Players
GM Romanishin Oleg  UKR 2602
GM Efimov  Igor  ITA 2520
IM Zaja  Ivan  CRO 2513
IM Bellini  Fabio  ITA 2484
GM Naumkin  Igor  RUS 2440
IM Tomescu  Vlad  ROM 2432
IM Vezzosi  Paolo  ITA 2412
M Drei  Andrea  ITA 2350
M Iotti  Pierluigi ITA 2294
 Costantini Roberto  ITA 2233

Internet coverage at http://www.cronaca.it/ippogrifo

14) Forthcoming Events and Links

6th Stuttgart Open

The 6th International Stuttgart Open takes place in Ditzingen (Germany) from 24th-27th May 2001, 7ch.

Further information: http://www.tsv-zuffenhausen.de/schach/

2nd Yateley Manor International

The 2nd Yateley Manor International Open takes place 19th-21st January and 3rd-4th February 2001 (ie play is over 2 weekends). It takes place in Yateley Manor School, Reading Road, Yateley, nr Camberley, Hampshire.

For further details contact: Ray Clark High Cedars, Oak End Way, Gerrards Cross, Bucks. SL9 8DA e-mail ray.clark@kpmg.co.uk tel: 01753 883300

Rilton Cup

The XXX Rilton Cup in Stockholm takes place 27th December 2000 - 5th January 2001.

Homepages: http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-21958/rc2000a.htm(English), http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-21958/rifoen0001d.htm or http://www.stockholmchessfederation.com/

Kramnik-Leko Match

The "RWE Gas Match" are sponsoring a match between Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Leko, to be held from January 2nd to 8th 2001. We will see 12 rapid games (two per day, rest day: January 5th) in the Hotel Kempinski in the city centre of Budapest (Hungary).

Internet coverage: http://www.chessgate.de

Keres Memorial Rapid Tournament

The 11th International Rapid Chess Tournament Paul Keres Memorial dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Paul Keres and the centennial of the Estonian Sports Association Kalev takes place January 5th-7th 2001 Tallinn, 41. Pärnu Rd.

Invited players: Judit Polgar, Peter Svidler, Alexandr Khalifman, Jan Timman, Jaan Ehlvest.

Internet site: Internet site: http://online.ee/~maleliit/11th.htm

If you wish to enter:

REGISTRATION With participation fee 100 EEK (for participants under 18 and retired - 50 EEK) till January 1, 2001.,from January 2 2001 - 200 EEK (for participants under 18 and retired - 100 EEK) at 41 Pärnu RD., 10119 Tallinn. Phone + 372 644 07 44, Olaf Olmann Fax + 372 644 29 87 e - mail: eestikalev@anet.ee.

Participation fee can be paid to Estonian Union Bank code 401, account Nr. 10022002657005. Registration deadline - 5th January 2001 at 16.00 All participants must give their participant cards personally to Secretary General for drawing of lots before 16.00. Registration fee will be returned to applicants who have informed ESA Kalev about their cancellation before the drawing of lots.

The tournament is in two stages:

PRELIMINARY TOURNAMENT is a rapid one, 25 + 25 min, in seven rounds according to the Swiss system. The competitors will be divided according to their raiting into groups A and B. If results in the Preliminary Tournament are equal sum of points after every round is considered.

MEN's MAIN TOURNAMENT is played by 5 best players of group A of Preliminary Tournament and 3 players invited directly to the Main Tournament. MAIN TOURNAMENTS are held according to the tournament system. In case of equal points at Main Tournament the monetary prizes will be divided. The main prize of object will be given to the winner of the additional 10 minute competition.

PARTICIPANTS Up to 100 participants with the rating of 2000 and more will be permitted to participate, in case of vacancies also with a lower rating. Participation is free for IM and GM. GM will be accommodated in hotel and their travel expences will be covered within the limits of the costs of railway tickets by ESA Kalev.

Chief arbiter Lembit Vahesaar (international category) Schedule January, 5 at 11.00 - Symposium and Exhibition "PAUL KERES - THE SPORTSMAN OF CENTURY"

Preliminary Tournament Friday 5 January Saturday 6 January 16.30 Opening ceremony 10.15 Laying wreath to Keres Memorial 17.00-17.50 I round 11.00-11.50 V round 18.05-18.55 II round 12.05-12.55 VI round 19.10-20.00 III round 13.10-14.00 VII round 20.15.-21.05 IV round 14.30 Closing of Preliminary Tournament

Main Tournament Saturday 6th January Sunday 7th January MW 18.00-18.50 I round MW 11.00-11.50 IV round MW 19.00-19.50 II round MW 12.00-12.50 V round MW 20.00.-20.50 III round MW 13.00-13.50 VI round MW 14.00-14.50 VII round 15.15 Closing of Tournament

PRIZES The winner will be awarded with a prize of 12.000 EEK in value 2nd place 7000 EEK 3rd place 5000 EEK 4rd place 3000 EEK The best man of Preliminary Tournament will be awarded with a prize of 1500 EEK in value. The best female player with a prize of 7000 EEK in value, 2nd place 5000 EEK, 3rd 3000 EEK and 4th 1500 EEK in value. The best female player of Preliminary Tournament will be awarded with a prize of 1000 EEK in value. The best veteran (born 1941 and earlier) from Estonian will be awarded a prize of 1000 EEK. The best junior (born 1983 and later) gets a prize of 1000 EEK in value. In group B 1st place gets 1000 EEK, 2nd place 700 EEK, 3rd place 400 EEK.

Deep Fritz vs. Germany

There is a Deep Fritz vs. Germany match taking place. Internet coverage: http://www.computerschach.de/dfritz/ with an English introduction at: http://www.computerschach.de/dfritz/dfritz1e.htm

Tapolca Open

Tapolca Open: 9 rounds SWISS chess tournament in Budapest, 5th-13th of January 2001.

Lazslo Nagy reports: Venue: Hungarian Chess Federation, Budapest, Falk Miksa Str.10. Organizer: Mr. PAREJ, Jozsef, tel: 00-(36)-87-321-950 Prizes /brutto/: 40-25-15-10-6-4-2x3-2x2.5-2x2 thousand HUF. I will play in this tournament like a player, finally I can play chess, because January is a holiday in the FIRST SATURDAY events !!! More info and accommodation: Nagy, Laszlo International Chess Organizer E-mail: firstsat@elender.hu www.elender.hu/~firstsat phone-fax: (361)-263-28-59 mobile: (36)-30-230-1914 ICC nickname: MrFirstSaturday

VI FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships

The VI FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships take place in Pamplona (Spain). 27th December 2001 - 6 January 2002. Swiss 10 rounds Conditions: Players without Elo FIDE Entry: 50$ Information: Federación Española de Ajedrez Tfn: 34 (Spain)-91-3556009 Fax: 34-917256963 email: jaque@lite.eunet.es

Andorra Open 2001

The website for the Andorra open June 24th - July 2nd 2001. You can also win a digital camera or entry to the event by visiting their website.

Internet site: http://www.internet.ad/feva

Australian Junior Championships

2001 Australian Junior Championships 11-23 January Hellenic Club, Matilda St, Phillip, ACT The early-entry date is fast approaching and is next Wednesday 20 DECEMBER 2000. Late entries will be taken by the organisers up to 08 January and a late fee of $25 will apply, so get your entries in now. Print out the entry form from: http://www.auschess.org.au/centenary/junentryform.html and return to: 2001 Australian Junior Chess Championships PO Box 1403 Belconnen ACT 2616

New Chess Site

Emil Sutovsky has started contributing to the Chessy site. http://www.chesslove.h1.ru/eng/index.html

Sinisa Joksic www site

Yugoslav journalist Sinisa Joksic has a new internet site. He will cover Yugoslav chess in Serbo-Croatian and English and also the swiss chess tour.

Internet addresses: http://yubc.net/~yuchess or http://www.yuchess.bizland.com.

New Siberian Websites

Boris Schipkov announces two new Siberian Websites: Chess Siberia http://www.chessib.com/ (in English) and Shakhmatnaya Sibir http://www.chessib.com/rus (in Russian).

Contents: news, openings, games with the comments, articles, reviews, music and chess, chess and fiction, the best player and the game of month.

Who are your favourite players of the Millenium? The voting takes place 1st -30th December 30, 2000 in the Chess Siberia for determination of the best chessplayer of the millennium. Send your top five players by E-mail: b@chessib.com. Subject - "millennium". The player written under the 1st place receives 5 points, under the 2nd - 4 points, etc. It is possible to specify less than 5 chessplayers (but not less than 1).

Two tournaments in Prague

There are two closed tournaments in Prague at the end of the year, the Wilhelm Steinitz Memorial and one open tournament - Karel Prucha Memorial.

Contact: FM Martin Pribyl Prague, Czech Republic E-mail: orbis64@login.cz

December 26, 2000 - January 5, 2001 Prague - Wihelm Steinitz Memorial - closed GM tournament, 12 participants, category 8 - 10. Entry fee for players with ELO > 2400 300 DEM. Closed IM tournament, 10-12 players, cat. 3. Info: Ruzena Pribylova, Kukelska 904/113, Praha 9, CZ-198 00, Czech Republic. E-mail: orbis64@login.cz

December 26, 2000 - December 30, 2000 Prague - Memorial Karel Prucha - international open tournament, 7 rounds. Info: Ruzena Pribylova, Kukelska 904/113, Praha 9, CZ-198 00, Czech Republic. E-mail: orbis64@login.cz

Two Swiss Chess Tour events 2000-1

The "Swiss Chess Tour 2000" will finish in Bern with the 7th "Ambassador Open" December 26th-30th 2000. Swiss system, 7 rounds and the games will last a maximum of 5 hours (40 moves for 2 hours and 30 minutes till the end). Prize are: 2.000 SF, 1.500, 1.000, 800, 600, 500, 400, 300, 250 and 200 SF. From 11.- 20. places natural prizes. Special prizes for best Lady, senior (1940), junior(1980-83), schoolboy (1984) and best local player. Entty fee 130 SF, FMs and juniors 60 SF, at the door 10 SF more, GMs and IMs free. Venue: Hotel "Ambassador"

New event - Blitz tournament, Swiss system, 9 double rounds.

Time table for "Ambassador Open": December 26.: The last registration 11.00-12.15 Open ceremony 12.15-12.30 Round 1st 12.30-17.30 December 27.: Round 2nd 9.30-14.30 Round 3rd 15.30-20.30 December 28.: Round 4th 12.30 Blitz 18.30-22.30 December 29.: Round 5th 9.30-14.30 The first four play knock-out and the other continue tournament. Round 6th 15.30-20.30 + semi-final December 30.: Round 7th 9.30-14.30 + final Closing ceremony 16.00

Registered: GM Sturua (GEO), WGM Gurieli(GEO), GM Suetin (RUS), GM C.Horvath (HUN), GM J.Horvath (RUS), IM Berzinsh (LAT), IM Velicka (CZE), IM Joksic(YUG), IM Seres (HUN), IM A.Meszaros (HUN), IM Pal (HUN).

Anniversary of Viktor Korchnoi Swiss Chess Tour 2001 The 3rd Hilton Open in Basle

Next year Viktor Korchnoi celebrates his 70th birthday. The Swiss Chess Federation, his club "Zurich", organizers from Switzerland and other countries want to take part and organize some chess event in honor of great champion. Swiss Chess Tour 2001 starts the first and address gala Hilton Open in honor of Viktor.

The "Swiss Chess Tour 2001" start in Basle with the 3rd Hilton Open January 1st 7th 2000. Swiss system 7 rounds and Swiss system, 7 rounds and the games will last a maximum of 6 hours (40 moves for 2 hours and 60 minutes till the end). After 5 rounds a first three + Korchnoi play knock-out system, the others continue with Swiss system. Prizes: 1. 2000 SF (Swiss Francs), 2. 1.500, 3. 1.200, 4. 1.000, 5. 800, 6. 600, 7. 500, 8. 400, 9.-10.2x300 i 11.-12. 2x200 SF (min 100 players). Special prizes 200 SF each: best Lady, senior (1941), junior (1981-84), schoolboy (1985), Basle player, player till 2000 rating points and a best player till 1800 points. Entry fee: 130 SF (FMs + juniors 60; GMs + IMs free). At the doors +10 SF. Venue Hotel "Hilton"

The others celebration events: January, 2nd "Juniors Chess King" four category U-20, U-17, U-14, U-12. January, 3rd Viktor Korchnoi, Simul & show-blitz with juniors and VIP persons January, 6th Blitz Open (5', Swiss system, 9 double round)

Time table for "Hilton Open": January 1.: The last registration 14.00-16.45 Open ceremony 16.45-17.00 Round 1st 17.00-23.00 January 2.: Juniors Tournament 10.00-17.00 Round 2nd 17.00-23.00 January 3.: Round 3rd 17.00-23.00 Korchnoi, Simul & show-blitz 14.00-17.00 January 4.: Round 4th 17.00-23.00 January 5.: Round 5th 17.00-23.00 The first four play knock-out and the other continue Tournament. January 6. : Round 6th 11.00-17.00 (The semi-final 10.00-16.00) Blitz Tournament 18.00-22.00 January 7. : Round 7th 11.00-17.00 (The final 10.00-16.00) The closing ceremony 18.00

Registered: GM Korchnoi (SUI), GM A. Sokolov (RUS), GM Tukmakov (UKR), GM Sturua (GEO), WGM Gurieli (GEO), GM Cvitan (CRO), GM Suetin (RUS), GM C.Horvath (HUN), GM J.Horvath (RUS), IM Joksic (YUG), IM Pikula (YUG), IM Seres (HUN), IM A.Meszaros (HUN), IM Pal (HUN).

More information and registration: Robert Spoerri tel. +41+34+424-01-06 faf +41+34+424-01-07 E-mail info@beochess.ch

Further information: http://www.beochess.ch

10th Aurec Rapidplay

The 10th Aurec (France) Rapidplay takes place 10th-11th February 2001.

Two rapid tournaments 7 rounds/20mn. 2 sections : - section A for every player (total prizes FF 35,000) - section B for under 1700 (total prizes FF 5,000 + prizes in kind) Board and lodging from Friday to Sunday for all titled players. No appearance fees. Contact : Olivier Deville - Coteviere - 43110 Aurec, France, tel. : (+33) 4 77 35 41 21 - Fax : (+33) 4 77 35 23 76 - E-mail : odeville@netcourrier.com

Van der Wiel - Rebel Match

Maarten van Gils reports: There will be a match in Maastricht between John Van der Wiel and the computer program Rebel. It will take place January 2nd to 11th, 2001. John van der Wiel has developed explicit ideas about playing against computers and Rebel 11.0 (November 2000) seems to be much stronger than its predecessors. So the organisers hope the match will be exciting. The Arbiter will be Geurt Gijssen. The organisers are Stichting Chess Events Maastricht. The venue: Centre Céramique, Avenue Céramique 50 Maastricht, The Netherlands. Dates: January 2-4, 2001 Round 1-3. January 9-11, 2001 Round 4-6.

Match (6 games): GM John van der Wiel vs REBEL 11.0. Time control: 40/120 + 60/all. Games start at 13:00 local time. Entry is free.

Contact details:

Director: Maarten van Gils mvgvsm@wxs.nl

Game comments: Jan van Reek Endgame.Reek@net.HCC.nl

Live Internet coverage: Daan Brorens http://www.chess.dts.nl

More information: (English text) http://www.rebel.nl/rebwiel.htm (Dutch text) http://www.lisb.nl/vdWielRebel.htm

Martve Open

The Martve Open takes place 15-24.XII 2000 in Tbilisi. If interested E-mail: amiran_chess_tur@yahoo.com, geo_chess2000@yahoo.com, allach@viam.hepi.edu.ge, a_japaridze@yahoo.com

Internet site: http://geocities.com/amiran_chess_tur

Gausdal Troll Masters

The Gausdal Troll Masters are played at the Gausdal Høifjellshotel in Norway 5-12th January 2001. Open 9-round GM-tournament with good norm chances. 14-18 titled players expected out of 60-70 participants. Maximum 10-12 unrated players. Confirmed GMs: Rozentalis (2593), Rausis (2551), Krakops (2522), Gausel (2492), Djurhuus (2484) and Westerinen (2370). Last date of entry: 1st Januay 2001 Start fee: NOK 300-900, depending on rating. Prizes: NOK 6000 - 4000 - 2500 - 1500 - 1000

More information on the home page: http://home.online.no/~bjarke-k/TrollMasters/Troll2001/Engelsk/index.htm

Participation in the tournament may be combined with the Open Norwegian Rapid Chess Championships, played in Fredrikstad (south-east of Oslo) 12-13th January 2001. Home page: http://www.sjakk.net/nm_2001.html

Bethune Open (France)

The Bethune Open takes place 26th-30th December 2000. The 21st international open in Bethune (north of France). Many prizes: at least 36000 FF (~$5000) with 10000 FF (~$1500) for the winner. Further information: http://www.viruschess.com/ or by e-mail: lahcenec@aol.com

Cappelle la Grande

The XVII Cappelle la Grande open takes place 24th February-3rd March 2001.

Internet site: http://cappelle.free.fr

GM Alexander Baburin chess sites

GM Alexander Baburin has been a familiar presence on the internet with his Coffee Break magazine. He is now involved in two new websites. http://www.gmsquare.com The idea is to provide a place on the Web to those GMs who would like to have some presence on the Internet and currently there are sites of three GMs there - Alexander Baburin himself, Alexander Morozevich and Lev Psakhis. Secondly at: http://www.chesstoday.net there will be a commercial chess service, providing daily news, interviews and instruction to a wide range of players. Each issue will feature one annotated game and news from around the world, while weekend issues will have some instructional materials, particularly useful for club players. Chess Today costs about $15 for 4 months.

Ano Liosia Open

The 11th International Open Chess Tournament "Ano Liosia 2001" takes place 27 December 2000 - 6 January 2001, in Ano Liosia, Athens.

PRIZES 1st : 600.000 drs (1.500$), 2nd : 450.000 drs (1.125$), 3rd : 300.000 drs (750$), 4th : 250.000 drs (625$), 5th : 200.000 drs (500$), 6th : 150.000 drs (375$), 7th : 100.000 drs (250$), 8th : 90.000 drs (225$), 9th : 80.000 drs (200$), 10th : 70.000 drs (175$), 11th : 60.000 drs (150$), 12th : 50.000 drs (125$), 13th : 40.000 drs (100$), 14th : 35.000 drs (87.5$), 15th : 30.000 drs (75$), 16th : 25.000 drs (62.5$). TOTAL : 2.530.000 Drs. (6.325$)

Internet coverage: http://www.chess.gr/anoliosia

4th Afro-Asian Email Chess Championship

The 4th Afro-Asian Email Chess Championships which is a tournament of the ICCF. Any chess lover who lives in Africa or Asia can take part in the tournament with no entry fee. The preliminary round starts on 15.01.2001. The application should be sent by Email to the zonal director samraoui@aol.com not later than 31.12.2000.

Corus Wijk aan Zee 2001

The 14 players who will compete in the Corus 2001 chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands January 12th-28th 2001 have been invited. For the 3rd year running Garry Kasparov will play in the event. The top nine players in the July 2000 rating list are taking part.

Round 1 is on January 13th. Rest days were on Monday (15th), Friday (19th) and Wednesday (24th) are rest days.

Players: Garry Kasparov (Russia - 1 - 2849), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia - 2 - 2770), Viswanathan Anand (India - 3 - 2762), Alexander Morozevich (Russia - 4 - 2756), Michael Adams (England - 5 - 2755), Alexey Shirov (Spain - 6 - 2746), Peter Leko (Hungary 7 - 2743), Vassili Ivanchuk (Ukraine - 8 - 2719), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria - 9 - 2707), Jeroen Piket (Netherlands - 34 - 2649), Alexey Fedorov (Belarus - 37 - 2646), Loek van Wely (Netherlands - 39 - 2643), Jan Timman (Netherlands - 46 - 2639), Sergey Tiviakov (Netherlands - 76 - 2608). Average rating: 2713 Category: 19

B Tournament

Entrants in Grandmaster Group B of the Corus Chess Tournament 2001 GM Michael Gurevich (Belgium - 2667), GM Boris Gulko (US - 2643), GM Thomas Luther (Germany - 2547), GM Friso Nijboer (Netherlands - 2537), GM Dennis de Vreugt (Netherlands - 2511), FM P. Harikrishna (India - 2500), IM Teymour Radjabov (Azerbaijan- 2476), IM Karel van der Weide (Netherlands - 2467), IM Manuel Bosboom (Netherlands - 2455), IM Yge Visser (Netherlands - 2418), IM Erik Hoeksema (Netherlands - 2409), Dutch Youth Champion Nico Vink (Netherlands - 2296). Average rating: 2493 Category: 10

Coverage last year was at: http://chess2.lostcity.nl/corus/ and its expected this site will have the tournament for 2001.

Tel Aviv Open 2001

Open Swiss International Tournament in Tel-Aviv Dates: 9th-17th April 2001. 9 rounds. Possibilities for GM and IM norms. Prizes: 4000 3000 2000 1200 800....20 prizes in total (10 last are 250$); special U-2400, U-2000, U-18 y.o: 500 300 200 + women prizes; Special Conditions for GMs and IMs (apply to Dima Tyomkin dimatyomkin@hotmail.com).

Info: The Israeli Chess Federation through Mr. Igal Lotan 03-6437627, 03-6437630;

2001 Australian Open

Thursday 28 December 2000 - Tuesday 09 January 2001 Rydges Hotel Canberra City London Circuit, ACT, AUSTRALIA (3 hours drive from Sydney - transfer from airport may be available)

11 Round Fide-Rated Open Swiss The Following Players Are Confirmed: Gm Yuri Yakovich (Russia 2585) Gm Utut Adianto (Indonesia 2583) Gm Ian Rogers (Australia 2558) Gm Alexander Volzhin (Russia 2556) Gm Darryl Johansen (Australia 2505) Gm Markus Stangl (Germany 2479) Gm Goran Todorovich (Yugoslavia 2455) Gm H. Ardiansyah (Indonesia 2421) Im Gary Lane (England 2452) Im Michael Gluzman (Australia 2432) Im Vladimir Feldman (Australia 2399) Im Guy West (Australia 2372) Im Zong Yuan Zhao (Australia 2341) Im David Smerdon (Australia 2315) Im Irina Berezina-Feldman (Australia 2304) Gm And Im Norms Will Be Available.

All rounds 2:00 PM except last round 10:00 AM Accompanying minor, rapid and lightning events as well as simultaneous exhibitions. Entry: GMs, IMs, WGMs, WIMs free. Otherwise: A$120 A$96 (concession) The Open prize fund will be between A$11,000-A$15,000. 1st prize is A$3,000 with at least 6 place prizes overall with 2nd A$1,800 and 3rd A$1,200. Also a wide range of rating group and junior prizes in over 10 different sections.

Some conditions for GMs and IMs may be available, for instance billet accommodation. A limited number of summertime tourist bus outback travel packages might also be available for visiting titled players. 2001 Australian Junior Championships: The Australian Junior Championships will follow the Australian Open from 11 to 23 Jan 2001, also to be held in Canberra. Some coaching opportunities may be available for squads of titled players playing in the Open.

Entries so far: Leading entries include IGMs: GM Utut Adianto (Indonesia 2583), GM Ian Rogers (Australia 2558), GM Alexander Volzhin (Russia 2556), GM Darryl Johansen (Australia 2505), GM Stefan Djuric (Yugoslavia 2472), GM Goran Todorovic (Yugoslavia 2455). and IMs: IM Gary Lane (England 2452), IM Michael Gluzman (Australia 2432), IM Maarten Solleveld (Netherlands 2426), IM Vladimir Feldman (Australia 2399), IM Guy West (Australia 2372), IM Zong-Yuan Zhao (Australia 2341), IM David Smerdon (Australia 2315), IM Irina Berezina-Feldman (Australia 2304).

Important web sites: Australian Open http://www.auschess.org.au/centenary/ Australian Chess Federation http://www.auschess.org.au/ Australian Open Accommodation http://www.auschess.org.au/centenary/austaccom.html - cheap accommodation options available close to the venue

Bobby Fischer contribution to the Ambassador Report

Bobby Fischer was associated with Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God for some time. The Ambassador report was compiled by opponents of the organisation. You can read it at: http://homepage.altavista.com/AmbassadorReport/files/Fischer.html

4NCL Fantasy Chess

Fantasy Chess is now running a competition based on the 4NCL. People have to predict the results of the matches rather than the individual games. One for the Bundesliga will follow.

http://play.at/fantasychess

Three Hungarian Tournaments

Szekszard HUN IM closed tournament 04-10 12 2000 9 rounds, 2 double rounds, cat. 3-4, entry fee: 200 DEM information: Videki Sandor Tel/fax: 00-36-75421225 email: videkisn@matavnet.hu

Szekszard HUN 9 rounds open, children, blitz tournaments 05-10 12 2000 prizefound: 400000 HUF Information: Papp Csaba, Decs Oreg str.53 Hungary email: rlaszlo@freemail.hu

There will be the TAPOLCA Open chess tournament in Budapest January 5th-13th 2001. Prizes: 40-25-15-10-6-4-2x3-2x2.5-2x2 thousand HUF /1 USD = 300 HUF now/. About 4-6 IM-s, 50-70 % FIDE rated usually. The organizer: PAREJ, Jozsef, phone: 00-36-87-321-950, home 19:00-21:00 hours Central European Time More info and accommodation in Budapest: Nagy, Laszlo International Chess Organizer E-mail: firstsat@elender.hu

IECG Cup

The IECG Cup VI preliminary stage. IECG Cup is an open tournament: players of any rating are merged together. So this is a nice opportunity to play a wide range of opponents. Subscriptions are open until September 15. Entries received after this date are used for a replacement list, which will be closed on October 1st. The tournament will be launched on October 1st, for a duration of 11 months. All the unfinished games will be adjudicated. During the preliminary phase, all participants take part in a 7 men, single round tournament (so 6 games to play). The 2 winners of each section will be entitled to play in the next stage, starting in October 2001. All games count for IECG rating, of course.

The entry form for Cup VI is at: http://www.iecg.org/cupentry.htm The web entry form is the best method to be enlisted in the Cup, as the process behind is easier for us.

Linares and Ubeda Opens 2001

The VIII "Anibal" Open takes place in Linares, January 8th-18th, 2001. 11 round Swiss System Event.

PRIZES 1º 1.000.000 pts. 2º 500.000 pts. 3º 250.000 pts. 4º 200.000 pts. 5º 150.000 pts. 6º-10º 100.000 pts. 11º-20º 50.000 pts. 21º-30º 30.000 pts. 31º-50º 25.000 pts. 1st Woman Chessplayer 50.000 pts. 1st Chessplayer under 2300 Elo 50.000 pts. 1st Chessplayer from Jaen 50.000 pts.

The VI "Ciudad de Ubeda" Open takes place Ubeda, January 21st-30th 2001. 10 Round Swiss System event.

PRIZES 1º 500.000 pts. 2º 250.000 pts. 3º 150.000 pts. 4º 125.000 pts. 5º 100.000 pts. 6º-15º 75.000 pts. 16º-50º 50.000 pts. 1st Woman Chessplayer 50.000 pts. 1st Chessplayer under 2300 Elo 50.000 pts. 1st Chessplayer from Jaen 50.000 pts.

CONDITIONS

Chessplayers with 2580 Elo according FIDE ranking list July 2000 or January 2001: Free full board in a single room and free fixed fee. G.M. and I.M. Lodging free in a 3 stars hotel in Linares and in a 4 stars hotel in Ubeda. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are $12 per person/day in a double room (single supplement $25). Others Chessplayers: Lodging in a 3 stars hotel in Linares and in a 4 stars hotel in Ubeda is $24 per person/day in a double room (single supplement $25). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are $12 per person/day.

FIXED FEE PER TOURNAMENT: Until December 31st , 2000 7.500 pts. Since January 1st, 2001 10.000 pts.

VIII Open "Anibal" Tel. 953 650400, fax 953 652204 (Miss Flori). VI Open "Ciudad de Ubeda" Tel. 953 791011, fax 953 791012 (Miss Tana). e-mail address: linareschess@wanadoo.es - linareschess@teleline.es

Bank details: Banco de Andalucía, account nº 0004 3270 84 0601005803 Prizes will be subject to 25% tax.

WPC Site

Valery Salov heads the WPC (World Players Council) and they have their own website. The site is at: http://ajedrez_democratico.tripod.com with a mixture of material in Spanish and English. Includes: In English continued correspondence between Yasser Seirawan and Valery Salov, the WPC Memorandum and a summary of a press conference in London and Alexei Shirov annotating his win against Bacrot in Sarajavo. In Spanish there is more material including a press conference in Leon 5th June with the participants: GM Valeri Salov, IM Javier Ochoa, GM Zenón Franco, GM Jordi Magem, IM Ricardo Calvo, IM Leonid Bass, Leontxo García, Miguel Ángel Nepomuceno, Frederic Friedel (his exchanges are given in English), Amador Cuesta Robledo, and David Llada. You could try running the Spanish sections through the Babel Fish translation program to get the early exchanges if you don't speak the language.

New Russian Website

There is a new Russian Website (English content to follow) at: http://kvkchess.euro.ru/. Material includes chess history and statistics and a collection of the chess links.

New Greek Site

The OAA Heraklio Chess Club a new website: http://www.oaachess.bizland.com the site has chess news from Greece, chess features, etc. Includes a Greek chess calendar.

16th Maccabiah Chess Tournaments

As part of the 16th Maccabiah there will be a number of chess tournaments (GM/IM and open tournaments) The 16th Maccabiah (Jewish Olympiad) takes place in Tel-Aviv 16th-26th June 2001. http://www.slavchess.co.il/academy/maccabi.html