THE WEEK IN CHESS 725 29th September 2008 by Mark Crowther

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Contents

1) Introduction
2) 5th China vs Russia Chess Match
3) SPICE Cup
4) Banja Luka
5) Spanish Championship
6) Commonwealth Chess Championship
7) US Chess League
8) Hungarian Championship
9) Norwegian Championship Playoff
10) FEFCD Chihuahua Mexico
11) 17th Croatian Team Championship
12) Club Argentino-Ruibal
13) 4NCL
14) Circuit Espoir Europe-Echecs
15) European Youth Chess Championship
16) 5th Highlands Open
17) XXI Moratalaz International Open
18) XXI Trofeo Ayuntamiento de Barakaldo
19) National Chess League Argentina
20) Finland vs Sweden Match
21) Lausanne Young Masters
22) 4th Bjelovar Open
23) 7th Bergamo Open
24) 10th Cenka Honsy Memorial
25) Forthcoming Events and Links

Games Section
5th China vs Russia Chess Match10 games
SPICE Cup72 games
Banja Luka5 games
Commonwealth Chess Championship60 games
US Chess League28 games
Hungarian Championship4 games
Norwegian Championship2 games
17th Croatian Team Championship150 games
European Youth Chess Championship996 games
5th Highlands Open107 games
Finland vs Sweden Match35 games
Lausanne Young Masters64 games
4th Bjelovar Open165 games
7th Bergamo Open137 games
1736 games

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1) Introduction

My thanks to Jakub Fuksik, Brian Jones, Dario Mione, Dr. Szentpáli Krisztina, Jaakko Mantyniemi, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr, Michael Truran, Mirjana Medic, Paul Truong, Philip Feeley, Robert Fontaine and everyone else who helped with the issue.

A bit of a quieter week for games. The Russian's won the China - Russia match but only in the rapid and blitz phases (games are sadly missing). China will see evidence of an advance that they beat the Russian men in the standard time rate games. The SPICE Cup in America saw a big tie for first place settled in favour of Pentala Harikrishna on tie-break. The US has been short of strong all-play-alls and the organisers hope for an increase in strength from the very reasonable category XV next year. The new rating list will be out in the next couple of days and will no doubt see some very significant movements at a time where its practically impossible to say who the best player really is. Its a very long time since we've had a situation where so many players are so close at the top of the list given the long periods of domination of Karpov and Kasparov. We're also closing in on the start of the Anand - Kramnik world title match (just over a couple of weeks) and a couple of days later the European Club Cup. So if this week is quiet, it won't remain so for very long.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) 5th China vs Russia Chess Match

The 5th China vs Russia Chess Match took place 18th-27th September 2008, in Ningpo, China. 18th-23rd September standard (90+30), 24th-26th September rapid (25+10), 27th September blitz (3+2), no official site.

Standard timerate: China 26 Russia 24. (China Men 14.5 - Russia Men 10.5 - China Women 11.5 Russia Women 13.5)

Rapids. Russia Men won 13-7 (match points - 28-22). The Women tied 10-10 tie in match points and 25-25 - on individual results. No games available.

In the blitz-match proved stronger than Chinese men (14-6) and Russian girls (11-9).

Overall Russia won the match but I'm not completely sure on the scoring system they used for the rapids but the Chinese victory in the standard time rate games in the men's event will no doubt be regarded as the most important for them.

Games and results are available at: http://www.russiachess.org/

5th China vs Russia Chess Match Ningpo
(CHN), 18-23 ix 2008
Final Round 5 Standings of the standard time rate games:
Chinese Men
1 Wang Hao g CHN 2691 3.5 2844
2 Wang Yue g CHN 2704 3.0 2767
3 Li Chao2 g CHN 2590 3.0 2767
4 Ni Hua g CHN 2705 2.5 2700
5 Bu Xiangzhi g CHN 2710 2.5 2707
14.5
Chinese Women
1 Shen Yang wg CHN 2445 4.0 2706
2 Xu Yuhua g CHN 2483 2.5 2466
3 Ruan Lufei wg CHN 2499 2.0 2394
4 Zhao Xue m CHN 2522 2.0 2394
5 Huang Qian wg CHN 2430 1.0 2226
11.5
Chinese Total 26.0
Russian Men
1 Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2646 2.5 2680
2 Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2708 2.5 2680
3 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2738 2.0 2608
4 Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2709 2.0 2608
5 Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2675 1.5 2531
10.5
Russian Women
1 Kosintseva, Nadezhda m RUS 2460 3.0 2547
2 Pogonina, Natalija wg RUS 2469 3.0 2547
3 Korbut, Ekaterina m RUS 2459 3.0 2547
4 Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina m RUS 2435 2.5 2475
5 Kosintseva, Tatiana m RUS 2511 2.0 2403
13.5
Russian Total 24.0
5th China vs Russia Chess Match Ningpo
(CHN), 18-23 ix 2008
Results:
Round 5 (September 22, 2008)
Shen Yang - Kosintseva, Nadezhda ½-½ 42 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Wang Yue - Jakovenko, Dmitry ½-½ 10 D11 Slav Defence
Li Chao2 - Svidler, Peter ½-½ 14 C45 Scotch Game
Korbut, Ekaterina - Ruan Lufei 1-0 47 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Tomashevsky, Evgeny - Bu Xiangzhi ½-½ 20 D94 Gruenfeld Closed
Alekseev, Evgeny - Wang Hao ½-½ 26 C95 Ruy Lopez Breyer
Xu Yuhua - Pogonina, Natalija ½-½ 22 B52 Sicilian Rossolimo
Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina - Zhao Xue ½-½ 24 C69 Ruy Lopez Exchange
Inarkiev, Ernesto - Ni Hua ½-½ 16 C48 Four Knights Rubinstein
Huang Qian - Kosintseva, Tatiana 0-1 57 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2

3) SPICE Cup

The SPICE Cup took place September 19th-28th 2008 at the Texas Tech Student Union Building. There was a four way tie in the cup. Pentala Harikrishna took first on tie-break. Alejandro Ramirez and Gergely Antal seem to have finished first with 4.5/5 in the Spice Cup Open Grand-Prix which took place on the 27th-28th as did the Texas Women's Open which was won by Sabina-Francesca Foisor again with 4.5/5.

Official website: http://www.SPICE.ttu.edu

SPICE Cup Lubbock (USA), 19-28 ix 2008 cat. XV (2605)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Harikrishna, P g IND 2668 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 2678
2. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 2684
3. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2670 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 2678
4. Kritz, Leonid g GER 2610 ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 2684
5. Becerra Rivero, Julio g USA 2598 ½ ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5 2649
6. Mikhalevski, Victor g ISR 2592 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 1 ½ 2606
7. Perelshteyn, Eugene g USA 2555 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ 0 1 4 2568
8. Miton, Kamil g POL 2580 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 1 0 2528
9. Kaidanov, Gregory S g USA 2605 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 * 1 2525
10. Stefansson, Hannes g ISL 2566 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 * 2443

4) Banja Luka

The 9th Grandmaster's Tournament takes place in Banja Luka 29th September - 8th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.skbanjaluka.com/ - Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr16277.aspx?lan=2

IX GM Banja Luka (BIH), 29 ix-8 x 2008 cat. XI (2512)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Gopal, Geetha Narayanan g IND 2572 * . . . . . . . 1 . 1
2. Vukic, Milan g BIH 2457 . * . . . . . . . 1 1
3. Drasko, Milan g MNE 2508 . . * ½ . . . . . . ½ 2510
4. Heberla, Bartlomiej g POL 2510 . . ½ * . . . . . . ½ 2508
5. Ilincic, Zlatko g SRB 2519 . . . . * ½ . . . . ½ 2461
6. Javakhishvili, Lela m GEO 2461 . . . . ½ * . . . . ½ 2519
7. Korchnoi, Viktor g SUI 2602 . . . . . . * ½ . . ½ 2636
8. Volkov, Sergey1 g RUS 2636 . . . . . . ½ * . . ½ 2602
9. Jakovljevic, Vlado m BIH 2442 0 . . . . . . . * . 0
10. Savanovic, Aleksandar m BIH 2417 . 0 . . . . . . . * 0

Round 1 (September 29, 2008)
Gopal, Geetha Narayanan - Jakovljevic, Vlado 1-0 39 C42 Petroff's Defence
Vukic, Milan - Savanovic, Aleksandar 1-0 32 A13 Reti Opening
Drasko, Milan - Heberla, Bartlomiej ½-½ 14 A05 Various
Javakhishvili, Lela - Ilincic, Zlatko ½-½ 40 A48 King's Indian Defence /c2-c4
Volkov, Sergey1 - Korchnoi, Viktor ½-½ 50 E25 Nimzo Indian Saemisch

5) Spanish Championship

The Campeonato de Espana Individual Absoluto takes place in Ceuta, 27th September - 4th October 2008. I some trouble sorting the games out so I will look at them this week. The second Rivas vs Ibarra game from round 1 seems to be missing along with some of the rapid games (possibly the second set) from the first round.

Official site: http://www.feda.org/  

Spanish Championship Ceuta (ESP), 27 ix - 4 x 2008
Round 1 27-28 ix 2008
GMMiguel Illescas CAN2603 2-0 Jose L. Blazquez RIO2255
GMIbrahim Khamrakulov EXT2597 1-1 (2-0) MF Jorge Cabrera CAN2423
GMJose M. Lopez CAT2531 0,5-1,5 MI Ismael Teran AND2442
GMPablo San Segundo CAN2560 1,5-0,5 MI Juan M. Carrasco EXT2425
MIManuel Perez EXT2537 1-1 (1-3) MI David Larino NAV2426
GMMarc Narciso CAT2525 2-0 MI Horacio Saldano CAT2442
GMJulen Arizmendi VAL2524 1,5-0,5 MI Alejandro Franco EUS2472
GMManuel Rivas AND2508 1/2 MI Jose C. Ibarra AND2496
Round 2 29-30 ix 2008
GMMiguel Illescas CAN2603 1/2 MI Jose C. Ibarra AND2496
GMIbragim Khamrakulov EXT2597 1/2 GM Julen Arizmendi VAL2524
GMMarc Narciso CAT2525 1/2 MI Ismael Teran AND2442
GMPablo San Segundo CAN2560 1/2 MI David Larino NAV2426

6) Commonwealth Chess Championship

The Commonwealth Chess Championship takes place 28th September - 6th October 2008 in Nagpur, India. Nigel Short and Surya Shekhar Ganguly are the top seeds and both started with 2/2.

Official site: http://www.commonwealth-chess.com and games broadcast live at: http://www.monroi.com/watch/?tnm_id=1120

7) US Chess League

The 2008 season of the US Chess League started 25th August 2008. The fourth round took place on 15th and 17th September 2008.

Official site: http://www.uschessleague.com/

US Chess League ICC (INT), 27 viii-31 x 2008
Round 5 (of 10) Results:
22nd September 2008
QueensvsNew York
1GMAlex StripunskyQNSvsGMJohn FedorowiczNY1-0
2IMIrina KrushNYvsIMDmitry SchneiderQNS0-1
3IMEli VovshaQNSvsIMJay BoninNY1-0
4WFMIryna ZenyukNYvsAlex OstrovskiyQNS1-0
MiamivsTennessee
1FMBruci LopezMIAvsGMJaan EhlvestTEN0-1
2IMRon BurnettTENvsIMBlas LugoMIA1/2
3FMOsmany PereaMIAvsFMPeter BereolosTEN1/2
4FMJohn BickTENvsNMEric RodriguezMIA0-1
24th September 2008
PhiladelphiavsNew Jersey
1GMSergey KudrinPHIvsGMJoel BenjaminNJ1/2
2GMBoris GulkoNJvsIMBryan SmithPHI1-0
3IMRichard CostiganPHIvsIMDean IppolitoNJ1/2
4Andrew NgNJvsNMElvin WilsonPHI1-0
BaltimorevsChicago
1FMTegshsuren EnkhbatBALvsFMFlorin FelecanCHC1/2
2IMEmory TateCHCvsIMLarry KaufmanBAL1-0
3FMRay KaufmanBALvsIMMehmed PasalicCHC1/2
4IMAngelo YoungCHCvsNMAaron KahnBAL1/2
San FranciscovsBoston
1IMVinay BhatSFvsGMLarry ChristiansenBOS0-1
2SMJorge Sammour-HasbunBOSvsIMDavid PruessSF1-0
3FMSam ShanklandSFvsNMMarc EssermanBOS1/2
4NMIlya KrasikBOSvsFMDaniel NaroditskySF1/2
SeattlevsDallas
1GMGregory SerperSEAvsIMMarko ZivanicDAL1/2
2IMDrasko BoskovicDALvsFMSlava MikhailukSEA1/2
3FMJohn ReadeySEAvsIMJohn BartholomewDAL0-1
4WFMKarina VazirovaDAL)vsNMMichael LeeSEA0-1
ArizonavsCarolina
1IMLevon AltounianARZvsIMLev MilmanCAR1/2
2FMOleg ZaikovCARvsIMMark GinsburgARZ1-0
3FMRobby AdamsonARZvsFMRon SimpsonCAR1/2
4NMCraig JonesCARvsNMWarren HarperARZ0-1

US Chess League ICC (INT), 27 viii-31 x 2008
Round 5 (of 10) Standings :
EASTERN DIVISION WLGame PointsOpp Avg RatingOpps Record
Queens 5014.5/20 (73%)23939.0-11.0 (45%)
New Jersey 3.51.512.0/20 (60%)241811.0-9.0 (55%)
Boston 3211.5/20 (58%)240812.0-8.0 (60%)
Carolina 2.52.511.0/20 (56%)2403        6.0-14.0 (30%)
Baltimore 148.0/20 (40%)239810.5-9.5 (53%)
Philadelphia146.5/20 (33%)244610.0-10.0 (50%)
New York 145.5/20 (28%)241010.0-10.0 (50%)
WESTERN DIVISION WLGame PointsOpp Avg RatingOpps Record
Dallas3.51.511.5/20 (58%) 242512.5-7.5 (63%)
San Francisco3.51.511.5/20 (58%)2410                    11.0-9.0 (55%)
Miami 2.52.512.0/20 (60%)24089.0-11.0 (45%)
Chicago2.52.511.5/20 (58%)24028.0-12.0 (40%)
Arizona 2.52.59.0/20 (45%)237612.0-8.0 (60%)
Seattle2.52.59.0/20 (45%)238610.5-9.5 (53%)
Tennessee146.5/20 (33%) 23938.5-11.5 (43%)

8) Hungarian Championship

The 58th Hungarian Championship took place in Nyiregyhaza (220 km east from Budapest) 12th-23rd September 2008.

The championship was a 16 participant, KO-system event with Zoltan Almasi (6 times Hungarian Champion) and Gyula Sax (Gold medalist of the Buenos Aires Olympiad, 1978).

Zoltan Almasi defeated Csaba Balogh in the rapid playoffs 2.5-1.5. Robert Ruck beat Gabor Kovacs by the same score in the 3rd-4th playoff.

Official site: http://www.hotelpagony.hu/ or more directly http://dodicsek.unsoft.hu/2008/0912ferfiko/menkoch2008.htm.

58th ch-HUN KO Nyiregyhaza (HUN), 12-23 ix 2008
Round 1Round 2Semi-FinalFinalWinner
SeedNameTiNATEloScoreNameScoreNameScoreNameScoreName
1Almasi, Zoltan gHUN2668
Almasi, Zoltan
16Papp, Gabor mHUN2509½
Almasi, Zoltan
8Medvegy, Zoltan gHUN2556½
Cao, Sang
9Cao, Sang gHUN2491
Almasi, Zoltan
5Erdos, Viktor gHUN25760
Gonda, Laszlo
12Gonda, Laszlo mHUN25012
Ruck, Robert ½
4Ruck, Robert gHUN2574
Ruck, Robert
13Szabo, Krisztian mHUN2510
Almasi, Zoltan
3Balogh, Csaba gHUN26243
Balogh, Csaba
14Czebe, Attila gHUN24801
Balogh, Csaba
6Groszpeter, AttilagHUN2554
Sax, Gyula
11Sax, Gyula gHUN2506
Balogh, Csaba
7Horvath, Csaba gHUN2537½
Horvath, Adam 2
10Horvath, Adam gHUN2513
Kovacs, Gabor
2Kovacs, Gabor mHUN2505
Kovacs, Gabor 2
15Gyimesi, Zoltan gHUN2586½

9) Norwegian Championship Playoff

The Norwegian Championship took place 5th-13th July 2008. Jon Ludvig Hammer and Frode Elsness both finished on 6.5/9 and played off for the title and Frode Elsness dominated the final and won with 1.5/2.

Official site: http://nm2008.sjakkweb.no/

Norwegian Championship Playoff Moss (NOR), 26-27 ix 2008
Elsness, Frode - Hammer, Jon Ludvig 1-0 43 E15 Queens Indian
Hammer, Jon Ludvig - Elsness, Frode ½-½ 36 C69 Ruy Lopez Exchange
Norwegian Championship Playoff (NOR), 26-27 ix 2008
12
Elsness, Frode m NOR2428 1 ½ 2687
Hammer, Jon Ludvig m NOR2494 0 ½ ½2235

10) FEFCD Chihuahua Mexico

The FEFCD tournament takes place in Chihuahua Mexico 26th-28th September 2008. Jessie Krai seems to be the top player. Can't find any games.

Official site: http://www.fefcd.uach.mx/ajedrez.htm

11) 17th Croatian Team Championship

The 17th Croatian Team Championship takes place in Sibenik 27th September - 5th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.crochess.com/turniri/sibenik/liga_08/index.shtm

and results at: http://chess-results.com/tnr16247.aspx

12) Club Argentino-Ruibal

The Club Argentino-Ruibal takes place 29th September - 9th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.argentinodeajedrez.com.ar/caarui08/caarui08.htm

Club Argentino-Ruibal Buenos Aires (ARG), 29 ix-9 x 2008 cat. IX (2452)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Contin, Daniel m ITA 2304 * . . . . . . . . . 0
2. Dos Santos, Ramiro f ARG 2435 . * . . . . . . . . 0
3. Garcia Palermo, Carlos g ITA 2456 . . * . . . . . . . 0
4. Larsen, Bent g DEN 2461 . . . * . . . . . . 0
5. Lemos, Damian m ARG 2479 . . . . * . . . . . 0
6. Liascovich, Lucas m ARG 2435 . . . . . * . . . . 0
7. Mahia, Gustavo f ARG 2441 . . . . . . * . . . 0
8. Mareco, Sandro m ARG 2477 . . . . . . . * . . 0
9. Rodriguez Vila, Andres g URU 2531 . . . . . . . . * . 0
10. Valerga, Diego m ARG 2502 . . . . . . . . . * 0

Round 1 (September 29, 2008)
Contin, Daniel - Garcia Palermo, Carlos * 0
Larsen, Bent - Dos Santos, Ramiro * 0
Liascovich, Lucas - Lemos, Damian * 0
Mareco, Sandro - Valerga, Diego * 0
Rodriguez Vila, Andres - Mahia, Gustavo * 0

13) 4NCL

Rounds 1-2 of the 4NCL take place 4th-5th October 2008. Live coverage available.

Fixtures 2008-9

Rounds 1 and 2: 4th/5th October 2008 De Vere Venues, Sunningdale Divisions 1-2

Rounds 3-4: 6th/7th December 2008 Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Island Divisions 1-3

Rounds 5-6: 17th/18th January 2009 De Vere Venues, Sunningdale Divisions 1-2

Rounds 7-8: 21st/22nd March 2009 Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Island Divisions 1-3

Rounds 9-11: 2nd-4th May 2009 De Vere Venues, Staverton Park Divisions 1-2

Official website: http://www.4ncl.co.uk/ and live coverage: http://www.bcfservices.org.uk/livechess/4ncl/0809/index.htm

14) Circuit Espoir Europe-Echecs

Europe Echecs organises the "Circuit Espoir Europe-Echecs" and the 3rd event will be held under the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The 4 players are Anna Rudolf, Dana Reizniece, Sophie Milliet and Pauline Guichard and takes place on the 5th October 2008. The President of the European Union, Nicolas Sarkozy, will be present because it's the day of "Vivre le sport" with all the best sports men and women from all the European Countries.

Official site: http://www.europe-echecs.com/actualites/actualites-les-echecs-sous-la-tour-eiffel-1619.html

15) European Youth Chess Championship

European Youth Chess Championship 2008 took place in Herceg Novi (Montenegro) 14th-25th September 2008. 9 Round Swiss. Xavier Vila Gazquez edged out Alexander Kopylov and David Recuaro Guerra for the gold medal in the boys under-18 event after both scored 7/9. Katerina Nemcova won the under-18 girls event. There were under-16, under-14, under-12 and under-10 sections also.

Official site: http://www.euroyouth2008.com/

European Youth Championships Herceg Novi (MNE), 14-25 ix 2008
B18 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Vila Gazquez XavierIMESP2419737½
2Kopylov Alexander AFMRUS2421735½
3Recuero Guerra DavidFMESP2417735
4Swiercz DariuszIMPOL245638
5Chirila Ioan CristianIMROU242536
6Rasulov VugarFMAZE239235½
7Salgado Lopez IvanGMESP2532638
8Stupak KirillIMBLR2458638
9Krejci JanFMCZE2305637½
10Nabaty Tamir ISR2431636
11Volodin AleksandrIMEST2397636
12Baryshpolets AndreyFMUKR2413635
13Pavlidis Anastasios GRE2270633
14Can EmreIMTUR246038
15Saric IvanIMCRO251137½
16Benidze DavitFMGEO238937½
17Levin Evgeny AIMRUS248836
18Dzalbo Andrejs LAT210236
19Rahmanov Shakhiyar AZE214535
20Rozum IvanIMRUS244434
21Martinovic SasaFMCRO239534
22Tereick BenjaminFMGER238231
75 players
B16 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Nyzhnyk IllyaFMUKR2428840
2Ter-Sahakyan SamvelFMARM248043½
3Prohaszka PeterIMHUN250942
4Grandelius NilsFMSWE236640
5Sivuk Vitaly UKR232439½
6Bregadze LevanFMGEO239939
7Yilmaz MustafaFMTUR236237½
8Kanarek MarcelFMPOL234937
9Alonso Rosell AlvarFMESP239336½
10Pavlidis Antonios GRE226636½
11Mammadov Ayaz AZE234635½
12Strunski Andreas GER229434½
13Rombaldoni AxelFMITA237433½
14Vardanian Haik G. ARM2177639½
15Dragomirescu Robin-Alexandru ROU2232639
16Sieciechowicz Marcin POL2311638½
17Kamali Mehran NED2035637
18Mordechai Hanan ISR2072636
19Heimann Andreas GER2433636
20Baron Tal ISR2285636
21Janczarski Michal POL2238633½
113 players
B14 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Bukavshin IvanFMRUS235038
2Kovalev VladislavFMBLR2315741
3Grigoryan Karen HCMARM2097741
4Sochacki Christophe FRA2221736
5Lagarde MaximeFMFRA232237
6Wieczorek Oskar POL223235½
7Dragun Kamil POL224035½
8Baboyan Eduard RUS212534½
9Tilicheev Viacheslav RUS218931
10Bajarani UlviFMAZE2202641½
11Fedoseev VladimirFMRUS2321640½
12Eranyan Khachatur ARM1963639½
13Seegert Kristian DEN2024638½
14Pardo Simon David ESP2204635
15Danilenko Dmitriy UKR2209634
16Mokhov Vladimir RUS2201633
17Straka Josef Jr SVK2122633
18Van Der Lende Ilias NED1978632½
110 players
B12 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Berbatov KiprianFMBUL225045
2Dubov Daniil RUS223742
3Bortnik Alexandr UKR218941½
4Tomsia Kamil POL207540
5Sanzhaev Darsen RUS2064737½
6Flermoen Peter NOR1936736
7Eltigani Omar HUN2012733½
8Beradze Irakli GEO209740½
9Khamidov Komil POL193238½
10Svane Rasmus GER193433
11Linker Mikhail UKR192831½
12Tzouganakis Panteleimon GRE192731
13Mindlin Alon ISR1885641
14Eliseev Urii RUS2244640
15Santos Latasa Jaime ESP2052636½
16Boruchovsky Avital ISR1989636
17Monev Alexander BUL2087634
18Codenotti Marco ITA2055633½
19Rindlisbacher Lars SUI1980633
128 players
B10 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Ali Marandi Cemil CanCMTUR180942
2Vetoshko Volodymyr UKR193041
3Vorontsov Pavlo UKR040½
4Antal Tibor Kende HUN2036739½
5Duda Jan-Krzysztof POL1939738½
6Sadikhov Ulvi AZE1896738
7Bellahcene Bilel FRA171740
8Sheremet Anton BLR037½
9Sanal VahapCMTUR181437
10Kudelya Igor RUS035½
11Suleymanli Ramazan Yunus Oglu AZE032½
12Sawlin Leonid GER187231½
13Vavulin Maksim RUS1862641½
14Andreev Peter ENG0637
15Toma Radu-Cristian ROU1893636½
16Shurunov Andrei RUS1887635
17Repka Christopher SVK0635
18Paravyan David RUS2038634
19Magee Ronan IRL0634
120 players
G18 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Nemcova KaterinaWGMCZE237239
2Girya OlgaWFMRUS2350740½
3Ozturk KubraWFMTUR218841½
4Guadamuro Torrente AnabelWFMESP210538½
5Danelia MariamWFMGEO218537½
6Ohme MelanieWFMGER224535
7Demidowicz Maria POL2032640
8Fuchs Judith GER2197637½
9Traistaru Teodora ROU2162634½
10Rakic Marija SRB2276634½
11Pavlidou Ekaterini GRE203441
12Ni ViktorijaWFMLAT212935
13Tsirulnik Maritsa UKR211033½
14Mader ManuelaWFMGER215530½
15Zhorzholiani MeriWFMGEO213630½
16Vladimirova Maria BUL200930
17Exler Veronika AUT2011536
18Agrest Inna SWE2206534
19Gosciniak Maria POL2096533½
20Nowak Malgorzata POL2052533½
21Baptista Ana FilipaWFMPOR2137530½
22Chierici MariannaWFMITA2037530
55 players
G16 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Paikidze NaziWFMGEO227737½
2Repina VarvaraWFMRUS2201740½
3Savina Anastasia RUS2269740
4Tsatsalashvili KetiWIMGEO227139½
5Soloviova Liza UKR214835½
6Abdulla Khayala Mardan Qizi AZE202934½
7Adamowicz Katarzyna POL2063639½
8Shvayger Yuliya UKR2151639½
9Suslova AlenaWFMRUS2184637
10Manelidou Maria GRE1975635½
11Semenova Elena RUS2048634½
12Stetsko Lanita BLR2022633
13Kazimova Narmin Nizami Qizi AZE2148631½
14Gvanceladze AnnaWFMRUS201739
15Papp Petra HUN211837
16Grigorian Marine RUS213135½
17Schut Donna NED206935½
18Anusca Madalina-Maria ROU194933
19Eric JovanaWFMSRB211128
73 players
G14 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Arabidze MeriWFMGEO2152840½
2Lach AleksandraWFMPOL2035734½
3Vince Andrea SRB2082734
4Baciu Diana MDA201640
5Jalabadze Natia GEO201838½
6Samigullina DianaWFMRUS210238
7Chrzaszcz Malvina POL198636½
8Efroimski MarselWFMISR2091641
9Foisor Mihaela-Veronica ROU2090637½
10Papathanasiou Ageliki GRE1675637
11Revo Tanya BLR1954636½
12Warmelink Evie NED0634
13Wisniowska Klaudia POL1905634
14Rakhmangulova Anastasiya UKR2053633½
15Lezhepekova Veronika RUS1889633
16Iwanow AnnaWFMPOL1979630½
17Vasina Olena UKR198839
18Zmarzly Aleksandra POL192932½
19Zizlova Sofia RUS201232
20Rahimli Izzat Rauf Qizi AZE031½
82 players
G12 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Styazhkina AnnaWFMRUS1898839½
2Osmanodja Filiz GER1936737
3Bellaiche Elise FRA1769735½
4Tantsiura Marja UKR197637½
5Gogishvili Dea GEO187837
6Kostitsina Liubov RUS036
7Akopova Anna RUS185834
8Milutinovic Stefana SRB1627638½
9Bivol Alina RUS1831637½
10Fataliyeva Ulviyya Hasil QiziWCMAZE2000637½
11Dragieva Denitza BUL1706634
12Belova Olga RUS0633
13Tomin Ksenija SRB1756631½
14Feduk Irina UKR0629½
15Navrotescu Andreea Cristiana FRA174044
16Bitalzadeh Mahsa NED039
17Khazieva Elza RUS173938½
18Cyboran Katarzyna POL171436
19Azizbekyan Arpi ARM035
20Nikolovska Dragana MKD173234½
21Rigolot Lucie FRA170934
22Zarkovic Mila SRB181233
23Nevioselaya Maria BLR191932½
24Korban Katrina EST032½
25Hortensius Myrre NED178830
26Cemhan Kardelen TUR028½
80 players
G10 Final Rank after Round 9
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1
1Kisteneva LizaRUS0839½
2Osmak IulijaUKR044½
3Harazinska EwaPOL0743½
4Katanova MarinaRUS0738
5Evdokimova EkaterinaRUS038½
6Vasenina AnnaRUS037½
7Rodionova DariaRUS037
8Hojjatova Aydan Hikmat QiziAZE035
9Stanciu Ioana-GeorgianaROU034½
10Khomeriki NinoGEO1617639½
11Goryachkina AleksandraRUS0639½
12Mammadzada GunayAZE0637
13Ghukasyan SiranushARM0634
14Zamalova RamilyaRUS040½
15Gazikova VeronikaSVK038½
16Drogovoz IrinaRUS037½
17Egorova AyyynaRUS037½
18Valieva RufinaRUS036
19Sidorova AnnaRUS034½
20Fedosenko RognedaBLR034½
21Dadello AleksandraPOL173334½
22Vasova MariyaBUL034½
23Mammadova Narmin Fazahir QiziAZE033
24Shahbazyan HasmikARM032½
77 players

16) 5th Highlands Open

The 5th International Chess Festival Highlands Open 2008, took place in the town of Zdar nad Sazavou 20th-28th September 2008. Pavel Simacek edged out Jiri Stocek on tie-break after both finished on 7/9.

Official site: http://www.czechtour.net/highlands-open/

5th Highlands Open A Zdar nad Sazavou (CZE), 20-28 ix 2008
Rk.NameTiNATRtgIPts. TB1  TB2  TB3 
1Simacek PavelIMCZE24707,041,552,039,50
2Stocek Jiri Mgr.GMCZE25597,037,047,535,25
3Studnicka TomasFMCZE23006,039,048,532,25
4Konopka MichalIMCZE24336,038,049,531,50
5Talla VladimirIMCZE24076,037,547,529,75
6Kanovsky DavidIMCZE24096,036,547,027,25
7Nun JiriIMCZE23806,034,044,025,75
8Zpevak PavelIMCZE24236,032,540,523,50
9Petr MartinIMCZE24515,540,051,029,00
10Jirka JiriIMCZE24575,538,049,528,75
11Vokac Marek Ing.GMCZE24515,538,049,527,75
12Cuhra MartinCZE21435,533,543,024,00
13Vymazal BronislavCZE22745,033,041,520,75
14Ponizil CyrilFMCZE22845,031,540,520,75
15Svoboda VaclavCZE22545,031,539,019,25
16Cifka StanislavFMCZE24394,537,048,021,00
17Zvara Petr Mgr.IMCZE24094,535,045,020,25
18Novotny JaroslavCZE21724,533,542,019,25
19Krondraf Karel Ing.CZE22144,532,040,515,50
20Blazkova PetraWIMCZE22414,532,039,015,75
21Vecera PavelCZE21454,530,039,016,75
22Michalek JanIMCZE23204,529,538,017,25
23Haba Zdenek Ing.CZE22044,529,537,015,25
24Vlasak LukasCZE21364,526,533,014,75
25Rosko LubosFMCZE23874,035,546,519,75
26Pertlova SonaWFMCZE22174,030,038,516,25
27Pecha TomasCZE20964,028,537,016,25
28Cedikova KaterinaWIMCZE21514,028,535,513,00
29Tikovsky AlexanderCZE22434,028,038,014,50
30Olsarova KarolinaCZE21564,026,034,011,50
31Freisler PavelIMCZE23084,025,032,011,75
32Bures JaroslavCZE22433,534,544,012,75
33Olsarova TerezaCZE20753,527,034,08,50
34Rutter LidmilaCZE18933,526,033,011,00
35Jiruse Josef Mgr.CZE21333,526,033,010,75
36Balkova AnnaCZE18853,024,030,09,75
37Stanek StanislavCZE20392,525,033,08,00
38Nytrova AdelaCZE18432,523,529,56,75
39Prokopova JirinaCZE16261,522,529,55,75

17) XXI Moratalaz International Open

XXI Moratalaz International Open took place in Barakaldo (Spain) 20th-28th September 2008. Pablo Almagro Llamas won on tie-break from Krikor Mekhitarian after both scored 7/9. Very few games are available I will try and round them up next week.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr15989.aspx?lan=2

XXI Moratalaz International Open Barakaldo (ESP), 20-28 ix 2008
Rk.0NombreFEDEloPts. Des 1 Des 2
1FMAlmagro Llamas PabloESP24927,540,542,0
2IMMekhitarian Krikor SevagBRA25047,540,038,0
3IMDiamant AndreBRA23937,040,037,0
4GMFier AlexanderBRA25587,039,539,0
5Sanchez Gonzalez SergioESP22287,039,037,0
6IMDi Berardino Diego RafaelBRA24717,038,536,5
7IMMoreno Ruiz JavierESP24707,037,537,0
8FMSerrano Salvador EduardoESP23417,037,036,0
9FMGonzalez Somoza OliverESP23576,541,039,0
10FMRubio Mejia Luis IgnacioESP23866,533,534,5
161 players

18) XXI Trofeo Ayuntamiento de Barakaldo

The XXI Trofeo Ayuntamiento de Barakaldo took place 19th-26th September 2008. Juan Mario Gomez Esteban won with 7/8.

Official site: http://www.terra.es/personal4/cabarakaldo/home.htm?

19) National Chess League Argentina

The National Chess League started in Villa Martelli on the 9th August. Coverage below. I will round up the games at the conclusion of the event.

Official site: http://www.lna.org.ar/liga08/lna2008.htm

National Chess League Argentina (ARG), 9 viii - ? 2008
Leading Round 8 Standings:
Rank Equipo Part. + = - Pts. BUC
1 Martelli - Vte. Lopez 8 5 2 1 18½ 108
2 Municipalidad de Moreno 8 6 0 2 16½ 110½
3 Asociados Credicoop 8 5 1 2 16 109½
4 CAM 3 - Tres de Febrero 8 5 1 2 14½ 107½
Calice - Liguria 8 3 4 1 14½ 107½
6 T & E - San Martin 8 3 2 3 14 97½
7 TorreBlanca - ChesShop 8 4 2 2 13 114
8 Ventajedrez - Plastigal 8 3 0 5 12½ 93½
9 GEBA 8 4 2 2 12 113½
10 Circulo Patagonico 8 2 3 3 12 103
11 Art/Chess 8 5 1 2 12 78½
12 Najdorf - Polvorines 8 4 0 4 11½ 85
13 Ferro 8 3 2 3 11½ 71½
14 Rondi - Mupas 8 4 0 4 11½ 68½
15 San Isidro Perfil Jaque 8 3 1 4 11 99½
16 Miguel Tal - Malvinas 8 3 1 4 11 95½
17 Mar del Plata Los lobos 8 4 0 4 10½ 70½
18 M. Parrinello 8 3 2 3 88½
19 Pergamino 8 4 0 4 71
20 Los Ranqueles 8 2 0 6 76
21 Edifiko - AAAC 8 1 0 7 5 72

20) Finland vs Sweden Match

There was a match between Finland and Sweden in Aland (FIN), 13th September 2008. Aland is an archipelago between Finland and Sweden. Finland won 20-15. News: Jaakko Mantyniemi.

Official site: http://www.shakki.net/sksl/fin-swe

21) Lausanne Young Masters

The 9th Lausanne Young Masters Chess Tournament took place 19th-22nd September 2008. Alexander Dgebuadze edged out Cristina Foisor on tie-break after both finished on 6/7. The main Young Masters event didn't take place this year due to lack of sponsorship, they hope to hold it in 2009.

Official site: http://www.lausanneyoungmasters.com/

9th Lausanne Young Masters (SUI), 19-22 ix 2008
Leading Final Round 7 Standings:
PlNameTiLandEloPunkteBuchhBuSumm
1Dgebuadze,AlexanderGMBEL2562633.5208.5
2Foisor,Cristina AIMROU2344632.5213.5
3Guliyev,NamigGMAZE25105.534211
4Foisor,Ovidiu DorIMROU24105.533.5208.5
5Ginsburg,GennadijGMGER25205.532.5209
6Feller,SebastienGMFRA25235.531.5204
7Hindermann,FelixFMSUI22965.529196
8Bagri,Jaspaul SUI22345.528196.5
9Siebrecht,SebastiIMGER2453532198.5
10Boidman,YuriIMGER2411531.5200
11Philippe,ChristopIMFRA2442531193
12Netzer,JeanIMFRA2362530.5200.5
13Raetsky,AlexanderGMRUS2421530193
14Gheorghiu,FlorinGMROU2375530187
15Duratti,Lindo FRA2180526.5181
16Soulas,Gilles FRA2194526185
17Wyss,Jonas SUI21804.532195
18L'Henoret,Thierry FRA21704.529188.5
19Muller,AnneWIMFRA21794.528.5186.5
20Abbet,Jean-Luc SUI20754.528187
21Elezi,Egzon KOS22344.527.5176.5
22White,David J ENG20544.524177.5
95 players

22) 4th Bjelovar Open

The 4th Bjelovar open took place 18th-21st September 2008. Branko Rogulj won the event on tie-break from Darko Devcic, Robert Loncar and Veljko Kovacevic after all finished on 5.5/7. News: Mirjana Medic.

Official site: http://www.crochess.com/turniri/bjelovar/08/poredak.shtm

4th Open Bjelovar (CRO), 18-21 ix 2008
Leading Final Round 7 Standings:
PlNameTiFEDIRtgPlBH.BH.
1Rogulj, BrankoIMCRO24105,532,524,0
2Devcic, DarkoFMCRO23035,532,023,0
3Loncar, RobertIMCRO24465,528,520,0
4Kovacevic, VeljkoFMCRO22685,528,019,5
5Vadla, ZeljkoNMCRO21815,031,022,0
6Pasztor, FerencFMHUN21965,030,021,0
7Mihalinec, DamirMKCRO22495,028,019,0
8Kalajzic, IvanMKCRO22285,027,518,5
9Stocko, JosipICRO20115,024,517,0
10Jelecevic, IvoMKCRO22354,527,018,0
11Heiligermann, GaborMKHUN20754,029,523,0
12Smuk, VelimirFMCRO21564,027,019,5
13Dejanovic, MladenIIICRO04,027,019,0
14Portada, MarojeMKCRO21004,026,519,5
15Kelemen, MiljenkoMKCRO21054,026,519,0
16Slamar, VelimirNMCRO22174,026,518,5
17Monda, LaszloFMHUN21494,026,018,5
18Nagy, ZoltanFMHUN23064,025,518,0
48 players

23) 7th Bergamo Open

The 7th Bergamo Chess Open took place September 12th-14th 2008 at the Valtesse Sport Center. Russian GM and Elo favorite Oleg Korneev took the title with 5 points out of 6 after beating Serbian GM Sinisa Drazic in the final round; IM Roland Salvador (PHI), GM Erald Dervishi (ALB), GM Bogdan Lalic (CRO), GM Todor Todorov (BUL) and GM Andrey Sumets (UKR) shared second place on 4.5; candidate master Marco Brugo from Novara made a very good performance, with a nice win against Israeli GM Arthur Kogan in the first round and a draw against the Italian IM Paolo Vezzosi in the second. Dante Tomio from Treviso won the "B" group with 5/6, Ignazio Panades from Bergamo made a perfect score (5/5) in the U16 group. 100 players competed in the event (8 GMs and 6 IMs); the event was organized by Bergamo chess club and Antoniana sport association. News: Dario Mione.

Official site: http://www.scacchibergamo.altervista.org. Final standings in PDF format at http://www.scacchibergamo.altervista.org/7%20torneo%20BG%2014-9P102.pdf

VII Open Bergamo (ITA), 12-16 ix 2008
Final Round 6 Standings:
1Korneev, Oleg gRUS26315.02604
2Salvador, Roland mPHI24434.52571
3Dervishi, Erald gALB25444.52513
4Lalic, Bogdan gCRO25334.52471
5Todorov, Todor gBUL25044.52431
6Sumets, Andrey gUKR25344.52402
7Drazic, Sinisa gSRB25054.02503
8Martinez, Rolly mPHI24414.02456
9Borgo, Giulio mITA24424.02423
10Sanchez, Joseph mPHI24864.02425
11Brugo, Marco ITA21074.02429
12Kogan, Artur gISR25694.02306
13Tratar, Marko gSLO24863.52455
14Di Pietro, Davide ITA----3.52342
15Vezzosi, Paolo mITA23523.52260
16Pucovski, Miroslav mCRO23463.52303
17Astengo, Corrado ITA21213.52173
18Piantoni, Roberto ITA21193.52180
19Giancotti, Eraldo ITA20923.52156
20Ferretti, Folco fITA22843.02369
21Buriani, Andrea ITA21493.02085
22Steffenello, Leonard BRA21183.02281
23Scipioni, Gaetano ITA20773.02224
24Quagliarella, Sabino Remo ITA19253.02101
25Astengo, Marcello ITA20753.02140
26Bellavita, Guido ITA21013.02039
27Vincenzi, Marco ITA21232.52133
28Bozzali, Ermanno ITA21482.52105
29Angelini, Marco ITA19872.52079
30Elitropi, Giorgio ITA20082.52043
31De Palma, Fabrizio ITA20052.52060
32Pisani,Valerio ITA----2.52092
33Ranfagni, Stefano ITA20492.51993
34Corbellini, Nicola ITA19632.52043
35Gilardi, Davide ITA18192.51960
36Reduzzi, Maurizio ITA20932.02094
37Sala,Marcello ITA----2.01920
38Sala, Giovanni ITA19702.01879
39Cardani, Roberto ITA19192.01939
40Giannetta, Paolo ITA19342.01911
41Gaggino, Davide ITA19892.02045
42Guglielmi, Dante ITA19181.51817
43Cecconi, Giovanni A fITA22061.01909
44Maccarini, Luca ITA19201.01861
45Curtacci,Sergio ITA----1.01805
46Panjkovic, Aleksandar SRB21481.01780

24) 10th Cenka Honsy Memorial

The 10th Cenka Honsy Memorial Rapid took place in Pardubice on the 27th September. Viktor Laznieka won with 8/9. No games available.

Official site: http://www.polabinychess.eu and results: http://chess-results.com/tnr16255.aspx?lan=2

10th Cenka Honsy Memorial Pardubice (CZE), 27 ix 2008
Rk.NameTiFEDEloPts.T/BT/B
1Laznieka ViktorGMCZE25628,045,050,50
2Kulhanek TomasIMCZE24037,542,044,00
3Navratil FrantisekCZE22507,041,538,50
4Bernasek JanIMCZE24447,041,039,50
5Krys JaromírCZE21117,035,535,50
6Votava JanGMCZE25396,541,036,00
7Novotny MichalCZE22636,540,034,25
8Sabol MarianFMCZE23506,538,032,75
9Petuchov SergejCZE21916,537,031,75
10Plat VojtìchFMCZE24026,042,534,00
11Mojzís JaroslavFMCZE22006,039,028,50
12Sott PavelCZE21256,037,530,25
13Hosek MilanCZE23016,037,030,25
14Trojan LubosCZE20756,036,026,50
15Korol JioíCZE20766,031,526,25
16Vesely PetrCZE19255,539,527,25
17Kracík TomasCZE20875,538,526,25
18Zelenka JaroslavCZE20555,538,526,25
19Trhal TomasCZE20895,537,528,00
20Èizinsky PetrCZE19985,537,526,25
21Ptaeek LubosCZE20745,537,024,75
22Holasek PavelCZE21015,532,523,50
23Smíd OndoejCZE17755,532,522,75
24Mojzís MartinCZE20065,532,023,00
25Vobooil PavelCZE20275,532,022,00
26Skopec LubosCZE18485,531,021,75
27Haman JakubCZE18785,038,022,75
86 players

25) Forthcoming Events and Links

2nd Aquaprofit-Polgar Chess Day

Press release: 2nd Aquaprofit-Polgar Chess Day - within the frameworks of the renaissance year

The Polgár sisters are playing on 100 boards again

Budapest, 29th September. 2008

By favour of the Aquaprofit Co. there will be a chess festival with the Polgár sisters this year as well. This event will take place in an extraordinary beautiful place: in the Blue and the Glass Hall of the Palace of Arts on the 11th of October. Zsuzsa and Zsófi, who live abroad will travel home only for the sake of the chess day, so that they together with Judit, who lives in Hungary can play against their opponents. In the event, being held within the frameworks of the “Renaissance year” actors, journalists, media people, professional and amateur chess players and young talents will sit to the tables. In addition the organizers are planning to make a great announcement as well.

The Aquaprofit Co. is a relevant sponsor of the Hungarian chess life for years; it is the name giving sponsor of the chess team of Nagykanizsa, which is one of the strongest chess teams in Hungary. Last year the management hired Judit Polgár to bring her back to the circulation of the domestic chess life. Besides it organized the successful Aquaprofit-Polgár chess day, this way, after ten years the world famous sisters played together again in Hungary The Aquaprofit Co. would like to continue this tradition this year as well: the 2nd Aquaprofit-Polgár Chess day will be held in the Palace of Arts at 3 pm on the 11th of October 2008.

Judit, who lives in Hungary, Zsuzsa, who will come from New York and Zsófi, who lives in Canada will play against the opponents altogether on 45 boards at the same time (on 15 boards each) and new players will come after each game. This way, according to the plans more than a hundred players will have the chance to play in the simultaneous games.

There is an enormous interest for the event, there are already more than two hundred entrants. One thing is sure: young talents, professional chess players, actors and journalists will sit to the tables.

The organizers are planning to make a great announcement as well at the opening of the event.

Details in Hungarian: http://www.aquaprofit.com/sakknap/

Doeberl Cup and Sydney International 2009

The 2009 Doeberl Cup is in Canberra 9th-13th April 2009. See http://www.doeberlcup.com.au/

The 2009 Sydney International Open takes place 15th-19th April 2009. See http://www.chessaustralia.com.au/index.cfm?site=open

Free entry to GMs, IMs, WGMs and WIMs.

Free accommodation for selected GMs and WGMs.

For further information, please contact Brian Jones info@chessaustralia.com.au

Dresden Olympiad

The Olympiad takes place in Dresden 12th-25th November 2008.

Official site: http://dresden2008.de

Czech Litomysl Chess Christmas

Czech Chess Christmas 2008 Litomysl (CZE) 26.12.2008-2.1.2009

10th christmas chess FIDE tournament, swiss system of 9 round, rate of game 2 x 1,5h + 30s/move, prize fund 64.000 CZK (1st prize 20.000 CZK = 750 EUR), 10 financial prizes redeemable by drawings, special conditions for IM, WGM and GM, New Year’s Eve programme.

Contact: Proclient s.r.o., Jaroslav Fuksik, Svedska 3, 772 00 Olomouc, mobile: +420 608 364 664, e-mail: a64@proclient.cz, web: http://www.a64.cz/tournaments/litomysl2008/

8th Winterthur Chess Week

The 8th Winterthur (SUI) Chess Week takes place 3rd-12th October 2008. The tournament comprises two opens (Masters Open (Elo > 1899) / General Open (Elo < 2001)), the ACCENTUS Young Masters, a Youth Open and two blitz (individual and team) events.

The tournament homepage is located at http://www.schachwoche.org where the top four boards of the masters open will be broadcasted live during the tournament.

Leon Open

The city of Leon open takes place 26th-28th December 2008.

Details: http://www.openmundialdeleon.com

North American FIDE Invitationals

North American FIDE Invitationals. Are you on the hunt for your GM or IM norms? Visit http:/www.nachess.org/fide for the tournament schedule or contact Sevan A. Muradian at info@nachess.org for more information.

II Magistral do Circulo Militar

The II Magistral do Circulo Militar takes place Sao Paulo, 1st-9th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.comunic.com.br/xadrez/

Villa Martelli

There is a new Villa Martelli chess festival 9th-28th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.ajedrezmartelli.org.ar/

So - Torre Match 2009

14-year-old Wesley So and 56-year-old Eugene Torre play a 12 game match starting February 10, 2009 at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City. Two games each will be played in Quezon City, Davao and Iloilo, and if the match remains undecided, the protagonists will return to Quezon City and finish the match. A knockout game will be played if the duel ends up 6-6. The winner will take home P600,000 while the loser will earn P400,000.Another P100,000 goes to the winner of each provincial leg while the loser will get P50,000.

VII Benidorm International Festival

The VII Benidorm International Festival of Chess takes place 29th November - 8th December 2008.

Details: http://www.ajedrezbali.com/

For information contact: E-Mail: eventosdeajedrez@yahoo.es festivaldebenidorm@gmail.com News: Patricia Claros Aguilar.

12th Essent Chess Tournament

The 12th edition of the Essent Chess Tournament takes place October 17th-25th 2008. The location is the city of Hoogeveen. Just like last year there are several competitions: a Crown Group, a strong Essent Open, an Amateur Tournament and an event for youth.

Official site: http://www.essentchess.nl/index2008.htm

Mindsports

The World Mindsports games takes place in Beijing, China after the Olympics 3rd -18th October 2008.

Official site: http://www.2008wmsg.org/

Further details: http://players.chessdom.com/world-mind-sports-games-participants and http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/3069-entries-for-1st-world-mind-sports-games

VI Transcarpathian Rapidtournament Chess Decyk

VI Transcarpathian Rapidtournament "Chess Decyk" Ukraine, Uzhgorod, 28-29.08.2008

Organizers of tournament: Chess Federation of Uzhgorod Organizational committee: B. Borshosh, A. Samoylenko, V. Prokopishin Place: Ukraine, Uzhgorod, Pub-museum "Deca u notaria", Gagarin street, 98 Also Traditional Beer blitz-tournament will take place in Pub-museum "Deca u notaria"! Phone: +380503723900, +380503179153, (+3803122) 2-25-87 E-mail: chessfeduzh@rambler.ru Details: http://www.chessfeduzh.narod.ru

2nd Berkeley Masters

The 2008 Berkeley Masters takes place December 14th-23rd 2008 in Berkeley, California, finishing two days before the start of the North American Open in Las Vegas. It is a 10 round swiss, open to players rated fide 2200+. Space in the tournament and conditions for some Grandmasters are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Prize fund $5000 US. Info at http://dotq.org/chess

British Rapidplay

The British Rapidplay takes place 29th-30th November 2008.

Details: http://www.british-rapidplay.org.uk/

Hungarian Chess Tournaments July 2008 - March 2009

1. 19th-28th of July 2008 KECSKEMET, IM-FM Berger tmt, org: Dr.Erdelyi, Tamas, e-mail: postmaster@caissa.t-online.hu Website: http://www.caissachessbooks.hu Usually also in the second half of the month IM tmt-s in Kecskemet. 100 km South-East from Budapest.

2. 2nd-14th of August, FIRST SATURDAY Budapest GM-IM-FM, GM-IM-FM round robins (BERGER), 9-13 games, GM-IM norm possibilities in Budapest, venue: Hungarian Chess Federation, Falk Miksa Str.10. 2nd floor. Organisation: Nagy Laszlo, FIDE International Chess Organizer /NL/, E-mail: firstsat@hu.inter.net Website: http://www.firstsaturday.hu Phone-fax: +(361)-2632859, cellphone: +(36)-30-230-1914. From 12:00 a.m. until midnight - Central European Time = GMT+1.

3.16th-25th of August, IM-FM tmt, Kecskemet, org: Erdelyi

4.6th-18th of September GM-IM-FM First Saturday Budapest, org Nagy L,

5.20th -29th September IM-FM tmt Kecskemet, org Erdelyi

6.4th-16th of October, GM-IM-FM tmt, First Saturday Budapest, org.Nagy L.

7.18th-30th of October, SAKKAKADEMIA, GM-IM closed, org: WGM Csonkics, Tunde, info: firstsat@hu.inter.net

8.18th-27th of October IM-FM tmt Kecskemet, org Erdelyi.

9.1st-13th of November GM-IM-FM First Saturday Budapest, org Nagy L.

10. 15th-23rd of November, Kecskemet, IM dr.Erdelyi.

11.14th-22nd of November Tenkes Kupa Open, Harkany, 300 km South-West from Budapest, 9 round Swiss, org: Ambrus Lajos, mobile: 36-30-851-4224 e-mail: info@baranyasakk.hu www.baranyasakk.hu

12.6th-18th of December GM-IM-FM tmt, First Saturday Budapest, org Nagy L.

13.27th of Dec - 5th of January IM-FM tmt Kecskemet, org: Erdelyi.

14.9th-17th of January, EVADNYITO Open 9 rounds Swiss, Budapest, org: IA FAZEKAS, info: firstsat@hu.inter.net

15.23rd of January - 2nd of February, BALASSAGYARMAT WINTER, GM-IM closed, 100 km North from Budapest, Org: Nagy Laszlo, info: firstsat@hu.inter.net

16.7th-19th of February, FIRST SATURDAY GM-IM-FM Budapest - org: Nagy Laszlo, www.firstsaturday.hu - info: firstsat@hu.inter.net

17.7th-19th of March, First Saturday, Budapest, GM-IM-FM, org Nagy L.

18.20th-28th of March, 25th BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL 9 rounds Swiss Open, org: Nagy L. - e-mail: firstsat@hu.inter.net

Corus, Wijk aan Zee 2009

The organizers of the 71st Corus Chess Tournament have invited the young Dutch Grandmasters Daniel Stellwagen (1987) and reigning Dutch Champion Jan Smeets (1985) for the Grandmaster group A in 2009. For both players it means a debut on the highest level. Together with Loek van Wely, they will represent the Netherlands in the traditional chess festival, that will be held from Friday January 16th to Sunday 1st of February 2009.

Besides the participation of the above mentioned three Dutch players, the following World Class players have confirmed their participation: Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Gata Kamsky (United States) and Teymour Radjabov (Azerbaijan). Carlsen, Ivanchuk and Morozevich will be in the Top-6 of the new World Ranking list, that will be published on July 1st 2008.

The young Ukrainian Grandmaster Sergei Karjakin, as well as the winner of last year’s Grandmaster group B, Sergei Movsesian (Slovakia), have also confirmed their participation. The complete field with 14 participants will be presented in October 2008, as well as the names of the participants in the Grandmaster groups B and C.

Official site: http://www.coruschess.com/

Torino, Italy

The Torino tournament in (Italy) takes place 30th November 2008 - 8th December 2008. 9 Round swiss top group (B Group 7 rounds). Contact for entries and info tornei@scacchisticatorinese.it

Official site: http://www.scacchisticatorinese.it

Hastings Chess Congress

The Hastings Chess Congress takes place 28th December 2008 - 5th January 2009. Contact: Con Power at: conpowr@ol.com

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

European Club Cup

The European Club Cup 2008 (24th European Club Cup for Men, 13th European Club Cup for Women) takes place in Kallithea, Greece 16th-24th October 2008.

Official site: http://ecc2008.chessdom.com/

Chess Study

Do you have an FIDE rating?

Dr. Robert Howard of the University of New South Wales in Australia is carrying out a study of chess skill in internationally rated players. The study looks at effects of amount of practice, coaching and age of starting chess on chess skill and at chess players' views about chess skill. The study involves a short online survey. The survey is for anyone who has, or who ever has had, an FIDE rating.

The survey takes only about 5-10 minutes to complete. All responses are completely confidential. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian, and German.

To take part, you must know your exact FIDE ID number, which will be something like "14200887". ID numbers are posted on the FIDE website at http://www.fide.com

A summary and analysis of the study findings will be posted here when it is complete and will be emailed to any participant who requests it.

If you would like to participate, please go to this website: http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/fidestudy/

For any queries, please contact Dr Robert Howard, University of New South Wales, on rwh@unsw.edu.au

World Championship Match Anand vs Kramnik in Bonn

The World Championship match where Viswanathan Anand will defends his World title against Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany will now take place October 14th-2nd November, 2008. The main reason for the slight change in dates is to fit in with the sponsors and politicians ability to attend the opening. The main sponsor is Evonik Industries AG and the prizemoney 1,5 Million Euro. The contract was signed by both players 18th December 2007.

Dates for the match: Gm1: Oct 14th, Gm2: Oct 15th, Gm3: Oct 17th, Gm4: Oct 18th, Gm5: Oct 20th, Gm6: Oct 21st, Gm7: Oct 23rd, Gm8: Oct 24th, Gm9: Oct 26th, Gm10: Oct 27th, Gm11: Oct 29th, Gm12: Oct 31st, Tiebreak Nov 2nd.

Advanced booking for the World Chess Championship 2008 between Viswanathan Anand (India) and Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) has started. The tickets are available at the price of 35 Euro per day. The following benefits are included: - entrance to the playing hall - entrance to the commentary room with analysis by prominent grandmasters. The tickets are available at all ticket agencies in Germany. You can also buy tickets for the match in advance via BONNTICKET: http://www.bonnticket.de tickets@bonnticket.de. Tel. +49-(0)-180/5001812. Tickets for a possible tiebreak on November 02, 2008, will be available after the 12th game. Exclusive VIP tickets are also available. Details at the website below along with features on the leadup to the championships.

Website: http://www.uep-worldchess.com/

Open "Mediterranean 2017" Rijeka

The Open "Mediterranean 2017" Rijeka (CRO) takes place 29th November - 6th December 2008.

Details: http://www.mediteran2013.com/en/default.asp

2nd Queenstown Chess Classic 2009

Queenstown Chess Classic takes place in Queenstown, South Island of New Zealand 15th-24th January 2009.

This will be the second such event, the first was held in Jan 2006.

The Tournament promoter is GM Murray Chandler. Over $50,000 (NZ) is being offered in prizes with additional prizes in the Rapid and Blitz events being held on January 25th-26th 2009.

Full details: http://www.queenstownchess.com

GM Boris Alterman's Chess Lessons

GM Boris Alterman has a blog with free chess lessons on it.

Website: http://chesslessons.wordpress.com/

FIDE Grand Prix Events

The line ups for the FIDE Grand Prix events have been announced. The top four players in the world, along with players such as Morozevich and Shirov are missing. It seems that in the case of Kramnik and Topalov that they believe that the event doesn't have big enough prize money (according to quotes in Chess Today). All this was more or less known beforehand. However the players who have signed up make this a very attractive and interesting series of events. The grand prix is organised by Global Chess which is headed by Bessel Kok.

Details: http://www.fide.com/news.asp?id=1607


FIDE Grand Prix 2008-9
Surname First Name NAT Elo 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ck 08 Criteria WRk
Svidler Peter RUS 2763 2763 2763
2763
2763 4 2 Pres Nom 5
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar AZE 2760 2760
2760 2760
2760 4 2 Rating 6
Leko Peter HUN 2753

2753 2753 2753 2753 4 1 Rating 8
Ivanchuk Vassily UKR 2751
2751
2751 2751 2751 4 1 Rating 9
Aronian Levon ARM 2739
2739
2739 2739 2739 4 1 Rating 10
Gelfand Boris ISR 2737
2737
2737 2737 2737 4 1 Rating 11
Radjabov Teimour AZE 2735 2735 2735 2735 2735

4 3 Rating 12
Carlsen Magnus NOR 2733 2733
2733 2733
2733 4 2 Wcup 13
Karjakin Sergey UKR 2732 2732 2732
2732 2732
4 2 Wcup 14
Adams Michael ENG 2726 2726
2726
2726 2726 4 2 Reserve 16
Kamsky Gata USA 2726 2726 2726
2726 2726
4 2 Matches 15
Jakovenko Dmitry RUS 2720
2720 2720
2720 2720 4 2 Hcity 17
Cheparinov Ivan BUL 2713 2713 2713 2713

2713 4 3 Pres Nom 19
Grischuk Alexander RUS 2711 2711 2711 2711 2711

4 3 Reserve 21
Bacrot Etienne FRA 2700 2700
2700 2700 2700
4 2 Pres Nom 22
Wang Yue CHN 2698 2698 2698 2698
2698
4 3 Pres Nom 25
Inarkiev Ernesto RUS 2681 2681
2681
2681 2681 4 2 Hcity 34
Navara David CZE 2680 2680 2680

2680 2680 4 2 Hcity 37
Gashimov Vugar AZE 2665 2665 2665 2665
2665
4 3 Hcity 48
Pelletier Yannick SWZ 2600

2600 2600 2600 2600 4 1 Hcity 165
Al Modiahki Mohamad QTR 2569
2569 2569 2569
2569 4 2 Hcity 274
AVERAGE RATING


2715.9 2709.9 2697.4 2714.9 2707.7 2708.9



Player Count 21
2709.1 14 14 14 14 14 14 84 42

Event 1 April 20th - May 6th 2008, Baku, Azerbaijan
Event 2 July 30th - August 15th 2008, Sochi, Russia
Event 3 December 13th - 29th, 2008, Doha, Qatar
Event 4 April 14th - 28th, 2009, Montreux, Switzerland
Event 5 August 8th - 24th, 2009, Elista, Russia
Event 6 December 7th - 23rd, 2009, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Grand Prix 2008-9 Prizes Each Event
Place EUR Points
1 30,000 140 + 40 bonus
2 22,500 130 + 20
3 20,000 120 + 10
4 15,000 110
5 12,500 100
6 11,000 90
7 10,000 80
8 8,500 70
9 7,500 60
10 6,000 50
11 5,500 40
12 5,000 30
13 4,500 20
14 4,000 10


Grand Prix 2008-9
Prizes for Final Standings
(Best three events)
Pl Prize (Euros)
1st 75,000
2nd 50,000
3rd 40,000
4th 30,000
5th 25,000
6th 20,000
7th 18,000
8th 16,000
9th 14,000
10th 12,000

Alushta Diary 2008

GM Norm events: 23.05 - 1.06, 2.06 - 12.06, 15.06 - 25.06, 2.09 - 12.09, 14.09 - 24.09, 26.09 - 6.10, IM Norm: 23.05 - 1.06, 2.06 - 12.06, 15.06 - 25.06, 2.09 - 12.09, 14.09 - 24.09, 26.09 - 6.10, Rating tournament: 4.06 - 12.06, 22.06 - 27.06, Open tournament (under 16 years) First prize - 200$ 3.06 - 11.06, 13.06 - 21.06, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament First prize - 1000$ First prize (woman) - 500$ 28.06 - 6.07, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Blitz tournament 7.07, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament (rapid chess) 8.07 - 9.07, Alushta Session of school of Gennadi Kuzmin 21.06 - 27.06 Individual and group studying. phone +38 (06560)5-05-32,

Further information: http://www.kaissa.com.ua

Etienne Bacrot's Website

Etienne Bacrot has a website at: http://www.chess22.fr/ with his analysis and news. Very worth while, especially when he's playing.

ICC and FICS client for mobile phones

Mats Luthman has written a program that connects to ICC and FICS, compatable with many modern mobile phones. I've been looking for something like this for a while for watching live tournaments if I'm out and about. Its a nice free solution, you can also play but I haven't tried that.

Website: http://www.luthman.nu/Mobi/Mobi.html