THE WEEK IN CHESS 731 10th November 2008 by Mark Crowther

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Mark Crowther
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Contents

1) Introduction
2) IV World Blitz Championships
3) 1st Gedeon Barcza Memorial
4) Dresden Olympiad
5) XV Bora Kostic Memorial
6) Casino De Barcelona
7) World Seniors
8) Pan American
9) OIBM Bad Wiessee
10) First Saturday
11) National Chess League Argentina
12) 34th Fortis Guernsey Festival
13) Corus Qualifier on ICC
14) Brazilian Championship Semi-Finals
15) Spanish Teams
16) US Chess League
17) Rhode Island Open
18) Chess Study
19) Fascinating field for Corus A-Group 2009
20) Topalov - Kamsky match awarded to Bulgaria
21) Forthcoming Events and Links

Games Section
IV World Blitz Championships120 games
1st Gedeon Barcza Memorial9 games
XV Bora Kostic Memorial45 games
Casino De Barcelona20 games
World Seniors256 games
Pan American105 games
First Saturday99 games
National Chess League Argentina225 games
34th Fortis Guernsey Festival237 games
Corus Qualifier on ICC41 games
Brazilian Championship Semi-Finals119 games
Spanish Teams6 games
1281 games

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Deep Fritz 11

UK/World - US/CAN

My 60 Memorable Games

ChessBase Now Out

1) Introduction

My thanks to Arthur Brameld, Holger Lieske, James Alvis, Jeroen van den Berg, John Henderson, Louis Caruana, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr, George Mirijanian, Nebojsa Baralic, Miklos Orso, Patricia Claros Aguilar, Petar Stajic, Pedro Alberdi and Robert Howard and everyone else who helped with the issue.

The IV World Blitz Championship took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan and had a surprise winner in Leinier Dominguez Perez who took clear first place half a point clear of Vassily Ivanchuk who is the master of all time rates these days. This is a nice warm up for the Olympiad which starts in Dresden this week. FIDE will have their own share of problems to deal with in trying to organise the Kamsky vs Topalov match. We seem to be in the same mess time after time in bids and yet again we've seen a bid for a match collapse. The Olympiad and FIDE assembly is the time to sort this out.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) IV World Blitz Championships

The IV World Blitz Championships took place in Almaty Kazakhstan 7th (opening) - 8th (play) November 2008. 5 minutes per game. First place went to Leinier Dominguez Perez half a point clear of Vassily Ivanchuk (the game file had Ivanchuk beating Kamsky when he actually lost, this decisive game is unfortunately incomplete). Blitz is always trying on electronic boards. There are clearly errors and incomplete games.

Official site: http://worldblitz2008.kz/

IV World Blitz Almaty KAZ (KAZ), 8-8 xi 2008 cat. XIX (2702)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2719 * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 11.5 2911
2. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2786 ½ * ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 11.0 2871
3. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2727 ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 ½ 10.0 2825
4. Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2719 0 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 10.0 2825
5. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2731 0 1 1 0 * ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 9.5 2794
6. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2751 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 9.5 2793
7. Kazhgaleyev, Murtas g KAZ 2640 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 8.0 2726
8. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2787 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 * 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 7.5 2696
9. Kamsky, Gata g USA 2729 ½ 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 7.0 2679
10. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2719 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 7.0 2679
11. Tkachiev, Vladislav g FRA 2664 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 6.5 2654
12. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2702 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 1 6.5 2651
13. Vaganian, Rafael A g ARM 2590 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1 1 0 5.5 2614
14. Amin, Bassem g EGY 2560 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 ½ 0 * 0 1 4.5 2562
15. Sasikiran, Krishnan g IND 2694 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 * ½ 3.5 2491
16. Polgar, Judit g HUN 2711 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ * 2.5 2428

3) 1st Gedeon Barcza Memorial

The 1st Gedeon Barcza Memorial took place 27th October - 5th November 2008. I only have the final standings from the games and results and they say that Robert Ruck, Gabor Papp and Kaido Kulaots finished on 5.5/10.

Official site: http://www.baranyasakk.hu

I Gedeon Barcza Mem (HUN), 27 x-5 xi 2008 cat. XII (2532)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Ruck, Robert g HUN 2574 * * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 2559
2. Papp, Gabor m HUN 2509 ½ ½ * * ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 1 2572
3. Kulaots, Kaido g EST 2556 ½ 0 ½ ½ * * 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 2563
4. Romanishin, Oleg M g UKR 2532 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 * * 1 ½ 0 ½ 5 2532
5. Szabo, Krisztian1 m HUN 2520 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ * * ½ ½ 5 2534
6. Skoberne, Jure m SLO 2501 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ * * 2428

4) Dresden Olympiad

The Olympiad takes place in Dresden 12th-25th November 2008. The England team will be sponsored by Liverpool Victoria which means their best players Adams and Short will take part.

Official site: http://dresden2008.de

5) XV Bora Kostic Memorial

15th Bora Kostic Memorial took place in Vrsac, Serbia, from 26th October to 4th November 2008. The average elo: 2581 (Category 14). Stelios Halkias and Nikola Sedlak finished with 6/9.

Details: http://chess.vrsac.com

XV Bora Kostic Memorial Vrsac SRB (SRB), 26 x-4 xi 2008 cat. XIV (2581)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Halkias, Stelios g GRE 2584 * ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 6 2705
2. Sedlak, Nikola g SRB 2553 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 6 2708
3. Miton, Kamil g POL 2604 ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 5 2621
4. Vorobiov, Evgeny E g RUS 2577 1 ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 5 2624
5. Bogosavljevic, Boban g SRB 2541 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ ½ 1 5 2628
6. Solak, Dragan g SRB 2595 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 2579
7. Damljanovic, Branko g SRB 2596 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 1 2579
8. Spraggett, Kevin g CAN 2597 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ 2499
9. Kovacevic, Aleksandar g SRB 2581 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 3 2455
10. Perunovic, Milos g SRB 2580 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 2414

6) Casino De Barcelona

The Casino De Barcelona tournament took place in Barcelona October 30th - November 7th, 2008. Alexei Dreev won the event with 7/9.

Official site: http://www.directefcde.org/ and http://escacs.cat/ciutat08/index.html

Casino de Barcelona Barcelona (ESP), 30 x-7 xi 2008 cat. XIV (2583)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Dreev, Alexey g RUS 2670 * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 7 2793
2. Georgiev, Kiril g BUL 2645 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 2742
3. Jobava, Baadur g GEO 2664 0 0 * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 2654
4. Gulko, Boris F g USA 2552 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 5 2629
5. Stefanova, Antoaneta g BUL 2548 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 2586
6. Corrales Jimenez, Fidel m CUB 2552 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 ½ 1 1 2586
7. Lopez Martinez, Josep Manuel g ESP 2547 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ 1 4 2544
8. Hernandez Carmenates, Holden g CUB 2580 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ * ½ 0 3 2458
9. Narciso Dublan, Marc g ESP 2511 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ 2425
10. Kogan, Artur g ISR 2561 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ * 2419

7) World Seniors

The 18th World Seniors takes place in Bad Zwischenahn 28th October - 9th November 2008. Mihai Suba was the top seed but was edged out on tie-break by Karry Kaufman after both scored 9/11. Games from the final three rounds are missing.

Official site: http://www.seniorenschach.de/

SenWM Bad Zwischenahn (GER), 28 x-8 xi 2008
Final Round 11 Standings:
NoPlayersTiPkt.PktS.
1Kaufman,Larry CIM92342
2Suba,MihaiGM92338
3Cebalo,MisoGM8.553.5
4Khanukov,BorisFM8.552.5
5Zakharov,AlexanderIM8.552
6Klovans,JanisGM8.551
7Onoprienko,VladimirIM856.5
8Uhlmann,WolfgangGM854.5
9Jansa,VlastimilGM853
10Rotstein,EfimFM852
11Bogdanov,ValentinIM852
12Podgayets,M ykhayloIM849.5
13Brinck-Claussen,BjørnIM847.5
14Piankov,EvgenijIM847.5
15Chernikov,Oleg LGM847
16Kivipelto,Kaj845.5
17Holm,Sejer845
18Malisov,Boris7.550
19Mishuchkov,NikolaiFM7.549.5
20Danner,GeorgIM7.549.5
21Butnorius,AlgimantasGM7.548.5
22Gutman,LevGM7.548
23Karasev,VladimirIM7.547.5
24Davydov,SergeyFM7.546.5
25Opl,KlausFM7.546.5
26Rahls,PeterFM7.543
301 players
SenWM Women Bad Zwischenahn (GER), 28 x-8 xi 2008
Final Round 11 Standings:
NoPlayersTiPkt.PktS.
1Vilerte,TamaraWFM851.5
2Strutinskaya,GalinaWIM7.552
3Fomina,TatyanaWIM7.545
4Epstein,EstherWIM7.543.5
5Saunina,LudmillaWGM746
6Khmiadashvili,TamaraWGM741.5
7Khropova,LarisaWFM737.5
8Erenska-Barlo,HannaWGM6.542
9Miednikova,SvetlanaWFM6.541
10Sorokina,TamaraWIM6.538.5
11Voronova,TatjanaWIM643.5
12Bilunova,RimmaWIM640.5
13Dragasevic,AntoninaWIM639.5
14Komysheva,MargaritaWFM639
15Abdikasova,Panu636.5
16Kierzek,MiraWFM634
17Fatalibekova,ElenaWGM634
18Kabanova,Irina631.5
35 players

8) Pan American

The Pan-American Continental Chess Championship took place in Florida November 2nd-7th 2008. Jaan Ehlvest won with 7/9.

Getting games one by one from Monroi was not really a fun process. Also three games displayed correctly but the PGN was completely wrong so I had to type them in.

Official site: http://chesseducators.com/ and Live Games: http://www.monroi.com/

Pan-American Continental Boca Raton (USA), 1-11 xi 2008
1Jaan EhlvestGMUSA25817
2Alexander IvanovGMUSA25466.5
3Joshua Ed FriedelIMUSA24986.5
4Julio J BecerraGMUSA26026
5Alexander StripunskyGMUSA25536
6Manuel Leon HoyosGMMEX25356
7Vinay S BhatGMUSA24976
8Darcy LimaGMBRA24886
9Ray S RobsonIMUSA24666
10Sergio BarrientosIMCOL24506
11Renato TerryFMPER23496
12Alexander ShabalovGMUSA25855.5
13Alder EscobarIMCOL24825.5
14Everaldo MatsuuraIMBRA24695.5
15Dionisio AldamaIMMEX24575.5
16Justin SarkarIMUSA24515.5
17Gildardo J GarciaGMCOL24105.5
18Daniel M RenschFMUSA23545.5
19David ArenasIMCOL23235.5
20Ilye FiglerFMUSA23225.5
21Alfonso A AlmeidaIMMEX23785
22Alex BetaneliFMUSA23185
23Orlando OssaCOL23145
24Jeffrey HaskelUSA20965
25Blas LugoIMUSA24034.5
26Mauricio Rios ParraFMCOL23344.5
27Jake KleimanFMUSA23154.5
28Alfredo PenaFMCOL23094.5
29Alisa MelekhinaWFMUSA22994.5
30Fabio La RotaFMUSA22524.5
31Manuel Robledo GonzalesPER22234.5
32Erik F SantariusUSA22134.5
33Jose Luis FonsecaNIC22004.5
34Boris FerrufinoCMBOL21824.5
63 players

9) OIBM Bad Wiessee

The 12th Offene Internationale bayerische Meisterschaft 2008 took place in Bad Wiessee 1st-9th November 2008. Eduard Romain took clear first with 7.5/9. Games from rounds 1-4 and 9 are available to me at the moment but I usually get a full file so I will wait and see if one turns up.

Official site: http://www.ti-bad-wiessee.de/Schach_cms/

12th OIBM Bad Wiessee (GER), 1-9 xi 2008
Final Round 9 Standings:
PlPlayerTiNatEloPtsBuchhGegWrt
1Edouard,RomainIMFRA25317.5572405
2Burmakin,VladimirGMRUS26257552395
3Eingorn,VereslavGMUKR25577552328
4Prusikin,MichaelGM25387542277
5Schneider,Ilja2486753.52322
6Naumann,AlexanderGM25187532375
7Zude,ArnoIM24517532334
8Teske,HenrikGM25137532279
9Khmelniker,IlyaIMISR2443752.52384
10Meins,GerlefIM2460752.52308
11Yemelin,VasilyGMRUS25737522346
12Hossain,EnamulGMBAN24947522310
13Jaracz,PawelGMPOL2513750.52312
14Devereaux,MaximIMENG2415750.52288
15Hoffmann,MichaelIM2469748.52228
16Bachmann,AxelGMPAR25556.5552354
17Meister,PeterIM23886.551.52291
18Farago,IvanGMHUN24896.551.52281
19Handke,FlorianGM24986.551.52279
20Llaneza Vega,MarcIMESP24856.549.52274
21Weber,UlrichFM24116.549.52245
22Raykhman,Alexande22626.5492250
23Nagel,Bernhard22346.5492237
24Jugelt,Tobias23946.548.52186
25Köpke,ChristianFM23566.5482244
26Jussupow,Ekaterin21406.5482242
27Graf,Felix22876.5482176
28Forchert,MartinFM23856.547.52212
29Lupor,AndreFM23216.5472204
30Morawietz,Dieter24496.546.52213
31Schrems,Hermann21266.5462138
32Pena Gomez,ManuelFMESP24676.5452213
33Andersson,UlfGMSWE25626.5402257
34Henrichs,ThomasIM2485655.52366
35Kaplan,SashaIMISR2425652.52205
36Mainka,RomualdGM24826502290
37Korsus,Bernd22726502180
38Pirrot,DieterIM24466492239
38Skembris,SpyridonGMGRE24226492239
40Böhle,Lars22456492185
41Reefschläger,HelmIM23216482203
42Haub,Thorsten MicIM2454647.52201
43Salvermoser,BerndFM23046472227
44Krüger,Rainer,Dr.2216646.52129
45Löw,GeraldFM23076462203
46Arnaudov,Petar G.FMBUL23446462200
47Krämer,Stefan2264645.52213
48König,DietrichFM23536452113
49Wichmann,Daniel,D21976432097
50Wegerer,FredFMAUT2227642.52107
51Markl,Martin21986422040
52Hajenius,WillemBEL2045640.52057
353 players

10) First Saturday

The First Saturday tournaments take place in Hungary 1st-11th November 2008.

Official site: http://www.firstsaturday.hu/

FSGM November Budapest (HUN), 1-11 xi 2008 cat. VIII (2428)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Ilincic, Zlatko g SRB 2542 * ½ ½ ½ . ½ 1 . 1 . 1 ½ 2563
2. Varga, Zoltan g HUN 2494 ½ * ½ . . 1 ½ . 1 1 ½ ½ 2556
3. Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy m VIE 2452 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ . . . 1 1 5 2545
4. Prohaszka, Peter2 m HUN 2502 ½ . ½ * . . 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 5 2495
5. Kosic, Dragan g MNE 2511 . . ½ . * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 5 2481
6. Gunnarsson, Jon Viktor m ISL 2430 ½ 0 ½ . ½ * . 1 ½ ½ 1 . 2481
7. Martinovic, Sasa f CRO 2416 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ . * 1 . 1 ½ . 4 2453
8. Prasanna, Rao f IND 2311 . . . 1 ½ 0 0 * ½ 0 ½ 1 2374
9. Thorfinnsson, Bragi m ISL 2383 0 0 . ½ ½ ½ . ½ * ½ . ½ 3 2345
10. Arngrimsson, Dagur f ISL 2392 . 0 . 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ * . 1 3 2329
11. Recuero Guerra, David f ESP 2425 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ . . * . 2316
12. Wittmann, Walter m AUT 2281 ½ ½ 0 0 0 . . 0 ½ 0 . * 2197

FSIMA November Budapest (HUN), 1-11 xi 2008 cat. I (2268)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Konnyu, Janos HUN 2316 * ½ 1 ½ 1 . 1 . . 1 1 1 7 2594
2. Horvath, Andras f HUN 2251 ½ * . ½ ½ ½ . ½ ½ . 1 1 5 2365
3. Kjartansson, Gudmundur f ISL 2284 0 . * . 0 . ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 5 2349
4. Szeberenyi, Adam m HUN 2310 ½ ½ . * 1 1 . 0 ½ 0 1 . 2306
5. Kislik, Erik Andrew USA 2278 0 ½ 1 0 * 0 . 1 1 . . 1 2314
6. Humphrey, Jonathan f AUS 2330 . ½ . 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 . 4 2262
7. Werner, Dimo m GER 2328 0 . ½ . . ½ * ½ ½ 1 0 1 4 2255
8. Toth, Lili wm HUN 2194 . ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ * . 0 ½ . 3 2189
9. Lengyel, Bela m HUN 2309 . ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ . * ½ . ½ 3 2181
10. Denisov, Ivan RUS 2189 0 . 0 1 . ½ 0 1 ½ * . 0 3 2194
11. Naslund, Mikael f SWE 2243 0 0 0 0 . 1 1 ½ . . * ½ 3 2187
12. Bacso, Gabor f HUN 2181 0 0 0 . 0 . 0 . ½ 1 ½ * 2 2081

FSIMB November Budapest (HUN), 1-11 xi 2008 cat. I (2263)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Henriksson, Jacob SWE 2250 * * 0 1 1 ½ 1 . 1 1 1 . 2530
2. Farago, Sandor m HUN 2251 1 0 * * ½ ½ ½ . ½ . 1 . 4 2317
3. Kahn, Evarth m HUN 2297 0 ½ ½ ½ * * ½ . ½ . 1 ½ 4 2248
4. Adams, Nick A USA 2205 0 . ½ . ½ . * * ½ ½ 1 ½ 2277
5. Parkanyi, Attila m HUN 2361 0 0 ½ . ½ . ½ ½ * * 1 ½ 2192
6. Pochinkov, Andrey RUS 2211 0 . 0 . 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * * 2027

11) National Chess League Argentina

The National Chess League took place in Villa Martelli 9th August - 4th October 2008. Martelli - Vte. Lopez won the event with 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. Games section has the final round 9 games missing.

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

12) 34th Fortis Guernsey Festival

The 34th Fortis Guernsey Festival took place 19th-25th October 2008. Tiger Hillarp-Persson won with 6/7. My thanks to Arthur Brameld for the games.

Official site: http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/

Guernsey Open (GCI), 19-25 x 2008
Final Round 7 Standings:
NoNameINTiNATEloPts
1Hillarp-PerssonTGMSweden25436.5
2KurajicaBGMCroatia25405.5
3SpraggettKGMCanada25975.5
4BisbyD England 22875
5BroekT Netherlands22295
6BurrowsMP England21965
7CornelisseJ Netherlands22035
8KettT Wales22725
9TimmermansI Netherlands22265
10BellinRIMEngland24054.5
11De KruifK Netherlands20384.5
12HavenaarJ Netherlands21704.5
13HeppellIN England21684.5
14MinnicanA Scotland20864.5
15ThurlowKJCMEngland20624.5
16WallacePA Ireland22594.5
17BlijlevensP Netherlands18494
18BrownT Wales19664
19GorisAA Netherlands20774
20IppelCJ Netherlands20654
21JacksonO England21824
22PrinsJ Netherlands20454
23SimmonsM Jersey20674
24SpiceA Wales21734
25CollierDO England20893.5
67 players

13) Corus Qualifier on ICC

Corus Qualifier Eduardo Iturrizaga

Venezuelan GM Eduardo Iturrizaga, beat Brazilian GM Alexander Fier to win the Corus 'C' Group satellite qualifier hosted on the Internet Chess Club.

Iturrizaga, 19, won 3-1 in the blitz tiebreakers after two tough draws in the rapid matches, to take the top prize of the Corus C Group invite, round-trip ticket to Amsterdam, Hotel & Breakfast in Wijk aan Zee, plus $1300 appearance fee.

The result of a place in the famous Corus tournament is a dream come true for the young three-time Venezuelan champion, who is a national hero being his country's one and only grandmaster. It also comes on the back of some promising results during the summer for Iturrizaga, who was runner-up (behind Peruvian GM Julio Granada Zuniga) in the 2008 Iberamerican Championship before going on to win the Central America & Caribbean Fide Sub-Zonal.

16-players - selected by Corus, in consultation with ICC - from around the globe originally fought it out in this unique online rapid knockout tournament. And to ensure fair-play for all, at each location and for each match, an independent "proctor" was in place to oversee the proceedings, many of whom being national chess officials, international arbiters, national arbiters and ICC administrators.

Games in PGN

Details: http://www.chessclub.com/activities/corusqual08/

Corus Internet Qualifier ICC (INT), 1-9 xi 2008
¤ 1/8 FINAL 1/4 FINAL 1/2 FINAL FINAL
1
16
GM Alexander Fier (BRA, 2581) 1.5
FM Graham Morrison (SCO, 2328) 0.5
GM Fier 1.5
IM Mekhitarian 0.5
GM Fier 2.5
GM Salgado 1.5
GM Fier 1
GM Iturrizaga 3
8
9
IM Manuel Rodriguez (CUB, 2521) 0
IM Sevak Mekhitarian (BRA, 2511) 2.0
5
12
GM Ivan Salgado (ESP, 2556) 2.5
FM Anish Giri (RUS, 2466) 1.5
GM Salgado 1.5
GM Bluvshtein 0.5
4
13
GM Mark Bluvshtein (CAN, 2557)
IM Robert Ris (NED, 2417)
bye/no-show
3
14
GM Georg Meier (GER, 2558)
FM Marcus Santo (BRA, 2394)
bye/no-show
GM Meier 1.5
IM Robson 0.5
GM Meier 0.5
GM Iturrizaga 1.5
6
11
IM Sanan Sjugirov (RUS, 2549) 2.0
IM Ray Robson (USA, 2466) 3.0
7
10
GM Eduardo Iturrizaga (VEN, 2538)
IM David Smerdon (AUS, 2470)
bye/no-show
GM Iturrizaga 3
GM Safarli 1
2
15
GM Eltaj Safarli (AZE, 2568) 2.0
WGM Dagne Ciuskytev (ENG, 2339) 0

14) Brazilian Championship Semi-Finals

The 75th Brazilian Championship Semi-Finals took place 17th-19th October 2008. Jorge Bittencourt took first place with 5.5/7.

Official site: http://www.fgx.org.br/classificacao.htm

15) Spanish Teams

The finals of the Spanish CECLUB Championships saw four teams compete in Motril over the weekend of 1st-2nd November 2008. The event went to a rapid playoff between Linex-Magic and Cajacanrias after both teams finished tied 3-3. The rapid playoff also finished 3-3 and Cajacanrias took the title. Missing round one games now available.

Official site: http://www.feda.org

CECLUB Finals Motril ESP, 1-2 xi 2008
Semi-Finals 1st November 2008
LINEX-MAGIC4-2MERIDA PATRIMONIO AJOBLANCO
Shirov, Alexei1-0Karjakin, Sergei
Adams, Michael1/2Jakovenko, Dimitri
Ponomariov. Ruslan1-0Eljanov, Pavel
Akopian, Vladimir1/2Volokitin, Andrei
Sargissian, Gabriel1/2Khamrakulov, Ibrahim
Pérez Candelario, Manuel1/2Llanes, Miguel
CAJACANARIAS4.5-1.5.SOLVAY
Alekseev, Evgeny1/2Harikrishna, Pentala
Motylev, Alexander1-0Ganguly, Surya
Bareev, Evgeny1-0Mamedov, Nidjat
Korneev, Oleg1/2Negi, Parimarjan
Illescas, Miguel1-0Ubilava, Elizbar
San Segundo, Pablo1/2Bernal, Luis J
Finals 2nd November 2008
LINEX-MAGIC3-3CAJACANARIAS
Shirov, Alexei1/2Ivanchuk, Vassily
Adams, Michael1-0Alekseev, Evgeny
Ponomariov. Ruslan1/2Motylev, Alexander
Akopian, Vladimir1/2Bareev, Alexander
Sargissian, Gabriel1-0Illescas, MIguel
Pérez Candelario, Manuel1/2San Segundo, Pablo  
Playoff
CAJACANARIAS3-3LINEX-MAGIC
Ivanchuk, Vassily 0-1Shirov, Alexei
Alekseev, Evgeny0-1Adams, Michael
Motylev, Alexander1/2Ponomariov. Ruslan
Bareev, Alexander 1-0Akopian, Vladimir
Illescas, MIguel 1/2Sargissian, Gabriel
San Segundo, Pablo 1-0Pérez Candelario, ManLe
3rd-4th Places 2nd November 2008
MERIDA PATRIMONIO AJOBLANCO2-4SOLVAY
Karjakin, Sergei0-1Harikrishna, Pentala
Jakovenko, Dimitri 1-0Ganguly, Surya
Eljanov, Pavel0-1Mamedov, Nidjat
Volokitin, Andrei0-1Negi, Parimarjan
Khamrakulov, Ibrahim1/2Ubilava, Elizbar
Llanes, Miguel1/2Bernal, Luis J

16) US Chess League

The 2008 season of the US Chess League started 25th August 2008. Quarter finals start on 10th November 2008.

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

US Chess League ICCINT, 27 viii-29 xi 2008
Final Round 10 Results:
29th October 2008
CarolinavsPhiladelphia
1IMLev MilmanCARvs GMSergey KudrinPHI1/2
2FMTom BartellPHIvs FMOleg ZaikovCAR1-0
3FMRon SimpsonCARvs WGMJennifer ShahadePHI1-0
4FMMichael ShahadePHIvs NMCraig JonesCAR0-1
BostonvsQueens
1GMLarry ChristiansenBOSvs IMDmitry SchneiderQNS1-0
2IMEli VovshaQNSvs GMEugene PerelshteynBOS0-1
3SMMarc EssermanBOSvs IMAlex LendermanQNS1/2
4Benjamin KatzQNSvs NMIlya KrasikBOS0-1
New YorkvsNew Jersey
1GMPascal CharbonneauNYvs GMJoel BenjaminNJ1-0
2IMDean IppolitoNJvs IMIrina KrushNY1-0
3SMGregory BraylovskyNYvs SMMackenzie MolnerNJ1/2
4Andrew NgNJvs NMMatthew HermanNY0-1
TennesseevsBaltimore
1GMJaan EhlvestTENvs GMSergey ErenburgBAL1/2
2FMTegshsuren EnkhbatBALvs FMTodd AndrewsTEN1-0
3FMJonh BickTENvs FMRalph ZimmerBAL1-0
4NMAaron KahnBALvs Gerald LarsonTEN0-1
MiamivsSan Francisco
1GMJulio BecerraMIAvs GMVinay BhatSF1/2
2IMDavid PruessSFvs FMBruci LopezMIA1/2
3FMOsmany PereaMIAvs FMDmitry ZilbersteinSF1-0
4NMGregory YoungSFvs Matan PrilleltenskyMIA1/2
DallasvsChicago
1IMDavorin KuljasevicDALvs FMEmory TateCHC1-0
2FMMehmed PasalicCHCvs IMJohn BartholomewDAL1-0
3FMAndrei ZarembaDALvs IMAngelo YoungCHC1/2
4Adam StrunkCHCvs WFMBayaraa ZorigtDAL0-1
ArizonavsSeattle
1IMLevon AltounianARZvs GMGregory SerperSEA1/2
2FMSlava MikhailukSEAvs IMMark GinsburgARZ1-0
3FMRobby AdamsonARZvs WGMKaterina RohonyanSEA1-0
4NMMichael LeeSEAvs NMWarren HarperARZ0-1


US Chess League ICC INT, 27 viii-31 x 2008
Final Round 10 Standings
EASTERN DIVISIONWLGame PointsOpp Avg RatingOpps Record
Carolina 7324.0/40 (60%)238838.5-47.5 (45%)
Queens7323.5/40 (59%)240141.0-45.0 (48%)
Boston6423.0/40 (58%)240641.0-45.0 (48%)
New York5518.0/40 (45%)2416 41.5-44.5 (48%)
New Jersey 4.55.520.0/40 (50%)241941.0-45.0 (48%)
Philadelphia2815.0/40 (38%)242944.0-42.0 (51%)
Baltimore1.58.514.0/40 (35%)239840.0-46.0 (47%)
WESTERN DIVISIONWLGame PointsOpp Avg RatingOpps Record
Miami7326.5/40 (66%)240747.5-38.5 (55%)
San Francisco6.53.523.5/40 (59%)2404                   46.5-39.5 (54%)
Dallas6.53.521.0/40 (53%)240946.5-39.5 (54%)
Seattle4.55.518.0/40 (45%)240042.5-43.5 (49%)
X- Arizona4.55.517.5/40 (44%)239848.5-37.5 (56%)
Chicago4619.5/40 (49%)239242.0-44.0 (49%)
Tennessee4616.5/40 (41%)239841.5-44.5 (48%)
US Chess League ICC Quarter Finals INT, 10 xi 2008
Final Round 10 Standings
1Boston Blitzvs Queens Pioneers7:00 ET(Queens receives draw odds)
2New York Knightsvs Carolina Cobras7:30 ET(Carolina receives draw odds)
3San Francisco Mechanicsvs Dallas Destiny8:30 ET(SF receives draw odds)
4Miami Sharksvs Seattle Sluggers9:00 ET(Miami receives draw odds)

17) Rhode Island Open

George Mirijanian reports: The 2008 Rhode Island Open took place on November 8th-9th at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. IM David Vigorito, 38, of Lowell, Massachusetts tallied 4.5-0.5 in a three-section field of 25 players to finish first. Stuart Finney, a 13-year-old U.S. Chess Federation-rated expert from Barrington, RI, captured second place with a 4-1 score, including a draw with tournament winner Vigorito in the second round. Tied for third place with 2.5-2.5 results were fellow experts David Harris, 55, of Providence and Stephen Brudno, 66, of Brookline, Massachusetts, as well as Class A participant William Smirnov, 41, of East Wareham, Massachusetts. Directing the event for the sponsoring Rhode Island Chess Association was Frank Vogel III, assisted by Eric Berkey.

Crosstables are available at http://masschess.org

18) Chess Study

Preliminary Results of FIDE Chess Survey by Robert Howard

Thanks to everyone who took part in this survey. Here are the preliminary results. The sample consist of 581 players to date, with five grandmasters, 25 international masters, 67 FIDE masters, two woman's grandmasters, two woman's international masters, and two woman's FIDE masters. The results are only preliminary, however.

Some highlights:

Players learned the moves at a median age of eight years old (masters about two years younger). The median age of starting serious play and taking part in the first rated tournament is 14, 12 for masters. Most players have had coaching. Players average around five or six hours of chess study a week, but the range is huge (0 to 60 hours). Number of hours of study of chess material is a factor in expertise level but only a relatively minor one.

Most players firmly believe in natural talent for chess and most believe that top ten players have some special traits, that few really can reach that level. However, many believe that a lot of study and practice can take a player a long way. Some believe that almost everyone can get to FIDE master with enough practice and study.

Views on what natural talent for chess consists of vary, but some common ideas are good spatial ability, high IQ, good memory, creativity, high motivation, a strong will to win, control over emotions, and psychological hardiness.

Eventual grandmasters take a median 390 FIDE-rated games from rating list entry to gain the title. Most players do not play anywhere near enough rated games in their careers to have a realistic chance of becoming a grandmaster. About two thirds of those who do play over 900 games actually succeed in becoming a grandmaster. However, those who play over 740 games without becoming a grandmaster on average seem to strike an impassable barrier at around 2400 level.

Analysis of rating data of players who played over 900 FIDE-rated games show that eventual top ten players indeed are identifiable from list entry. They get on the rating list much younger on average, get the grandmaster title much younger and much faster, and rise in the ratings much faster than other grandmasters.

Most believe that playing rated games and studying are equally important in developing skill.

The full article: http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/fidestudy/results

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

19) Fascinating field for Corus A-Group 2009

The 71st Corus Chess tournament takes place Friday, January 16th to Sunday, February 1st, 2009 in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. Alexander Morozevich, Vassily Ivanchuk, Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian and Teimour Radjabov are the favourites for the event in the absence of world champion Viswanathan Anand, challenger Vladimir Kramnik and World Number one Veselin Topalov. This shake up of the field with these three regular missing has really freshened things up and should make for exciting chess, in the usual way they do things they'll probably be all back next year.

Five players will make their debut in the A-group: the young Dutch grandmasters Jan Smeets and Daniel Stellwagen, the sensational Wang Yue from China, who climbed up to the 11th place on the latest world ranking list, the winner of Grandmastergroup B in 2008, Sergei Movsesian, and Leinier Dominguez from Cuba (ranked 21st on the FIDE October rating list).

The official participants lists of Grandmaster groups B and C will be published later this year. Together with all amateur players and participants in the special groups, approximately 2,000 chess players are expected to come to Wijk aan Zee for the traditional chess festival in the small beach village at the west coast of The Netherlands, approximately 25 kilometers from Amsterdam.

As from January 2009, the rate of play in Grandmaster groups A, B and C will change. The rate of play will be: 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour, followed by 15 minutes with 30 seconds per move increment to finish the game.

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

71st Corus Wijk aan Zee A-Group
(NED), 16 i - 1 ii 2009
Alexander MorozevichRUS227871977
Vassily IvanchukUKR327861969
Magnus CarlsenNOR427861990
Levon AronianARM727571982
Teimour RadjabovAZE827511987
Wang YueCHN1127361987
Michael AdamsENG1227341971
Sergei MovsesianSLW1327321978
Sergei KarjakinUKR1527301990
Gata KamskyUSA1627291974
Leinier DominguezCUB2127191983
Loek van WelyNED26181972
Daniel StellwagenNED26051987
Jan SmeetsNED26041985

20) Topalov - Kamsky match awarded to Bulgaria

FIDE have given everyone involved until 14 November 2008 to agree to hold the match with a prize fund of 250,000 USD (an increase) plus 50,000 USD as contribution to FIDE in Bulgaria. The dates will remain 29th November - 12th December 2008 after a bid from Lviv organised by Kamsky's manager Alexander Chernenko fell through. If the Bulgarian Chess Federation can't raise this money then bid for the match will reopen. If Topalov refuses to play then Kamsky goes through to play world champion Anand, if Kamsky refuses then he will be replaced by Shirov.

Although its really not ideal at all that Topalov has home advantage I believe Kamsky has to sign up for this and I don't believe FIDE have any choice either (although this announcement is way too late), who else is going to sponsor this match? But its same old, same old from FIDE, dodgy managers with dodgy offers ($750,000 for this match?) and comments from Kamsky's dad http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5000 and Kamsky himself http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5000 who rejects the idea of playing in Bulgaria. There is also the point that Bulgaria has to find extra money for the match and may not have it or be minded to come up with it when there are no other bidders. The idea of Kamsky fighting FIDE would be nice but after the last election its clear that the leadership won't change, its effectively been in the same hands since 1982 when Campomanes came to power with a hand over with all the in-voting in 1995 to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Its a built in perpetual majority no-matter what the merits of the candidates for the sitting president. Last time we were promised professionalism but we're right back in the same place we've been many times in recent years.

I have a general rule of not covering these kind of negotiations these days. So much of what is said and announced is just wrong. No doubt this will drag on and on too and its all just embarrassing.

Press Release Moscow, 6 November 2008

Announcement of the FIDE President concerning the match Topalov - Kamsky

Dear chess friends,

As already known, FIDE had initially reached a decision to award the Challenger's Match Topalov - Kamsky to the Bulgarian Chess Federation which offered a prize fund of 150,000 USD.

Afterwards, and following consultations with both sides, FIDE gave the opportunity to Alexander Chernenko, the manager of GM Gata Kamsky, to bring in an improved bid with Lviv suggested by Mr Chernenko as the host city. The prize fund offered by GM Gata Kamsky's manager was 750,000 USD. Since then, FIDE received several letters, by banks supposed to co-operate with Mr Chernenko, stating that the funds were "on their way". But up to this moment, and despite numerous reminders to Alexander Chernenko, no bank guarantees have been provided and of course no transfer of the prize fund has been made to the bank account of FIDE.

At this point I must say that I have deeply regretted the trust which I had shown to Alexander Chernenko, concerning the reliability of his offer. The actions of Mr Chernenko indicate an abuse of right to invoke my guarantee which was declared after his own request and in good faith to help him secure the necessary funds. Furthermore, I understand the complaints of the Bulgarian Chess Federation concerning the procedure followed, although FIDE was only trying to improve the financial conditions for both players.

In order to restore the procedure towards holding this very important match, FIDE announces the following:

a) The Bulgarian Chess Federation will be re-awarded with the event if it accepts in written form, by 14 November 2008 12:00 GMT, to hold the match with a prize fund of 250,000 USD plus 50,000 USD as contribution to FIDE and all organising expenses covered. In this case, the dates of the match Topalov - Kamsky remain as already announced (29 Nov. - 12 Dec. 2008) and I intend to nominate FIDE Vice President Mr William Kelleher of USA as the FIDE Supervisor of the Organising Committee (*duties of the FIDE Supervisor as annex 1 attached to this announcement). The confirmation letter of the Bulgarian Chess Federation should be sent by email at office@fide.com and by registered post to the FIDE Secreteriat, address: 9 Syggrou Ave, 11743 Athens, Greece.

b) By 14 November 2008, 12:00 GMT, both players have to officially confirm, in written form and in a clear and explicit way, that they will play the match. If GM Topalov refuses to confirm his participation, then GM Kamsky qualifies automatically for the 2009 WCC match. If GM Kamsky refuses to confirm his participation, he will be replaced by GM Shirov (the runner-up of the World Cup 2007). The confirmation letters should be sent by email at office@fide.com and by registered post to the FIDE Secreteriat, address: 9 Syggrou Ave, 11743 Athens, Greece.

c) If the Bulgarian Chess Federation will not confirm that it accepts the financial requirements of (a), an open bidding procedure will be launched with a deadline of 31 December 2008. The best bid will be awarded with the event which will then be held in February or March 2009.

The unfortunate handling of the situation by Alexander Chernenko has brought us to a point where the time limits are very tight. With this procedure, FIDE puts the Challengers Match back on track and with a clear timetable. We are all looking forward to a great match which will produce a worthy challenger to World Champion Vishy Anand for the year 2009.

Gens Una Sumus!

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov FIDE President

21) Forthcoming Events and Links

Benidorm Stars

The VII Benidorm International Chess Festival takes place 28th November - 8th December 2008. The stars section sees Vassily Ivanchuk, Alexei Shirov, Sergey Tiviakov, Katherine Lahno, Xavi Vila, Sabrina Vega etc compete.

Official site: http://www.ajedrezbali.com and http://www.eventosdeajedrez.com

18th Pamplona International

18th Pamplona International consists of a invitational Grandmaster tournament, and an open 9 round tournament. Both tournaments take place from 22nd December - 29th December 2008.

The invitational Grandmaster tournament is an eight-player round robin. Players are: GM Sasikiran, Krishnan (2694, IND), GM Roiz, Michael (2677,ISR), GM Malakhov, Vladimir (2675, RUS), GM Vallejo, Pons Francisco (2664,ESP), GM Caruana, Fabiano (2640,ITA), GM Delchev, Aleksander (2632,BUL), GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian (2616,RUS), and GM Salgado Lopez, Ivan (2556,ESP).

Official website: http://www.chesspamplona.com/

21st Belgrade Trophy 2008

The 21st Belgrade Trophy 2008 takes place in Obrenovac (near Belgrade). The Belgrade Open, Belgrade Trophy, or International Belgrade Open Chess Championship takes place November 27th - December 5th, 2008. Prize fund is 6000 EUR (1st Place - 1200 EUR) consists of 15 best place and 8 special prizes. The Championship will be played in 9 rounds according to the FIDE Swiss System (computer pairing). The rate of play is 2 hours for 40 moves plus 30 minutes till the end of the game. The organizer has provided participation of minimum 20 foreign players, to make possible achievemnet of international norms for FIDE titles. Tournament protector is Parliament of Belgrade City. Organizers: Belgrade Chess Federation and Obrenovac City.

All informations you can get on the phone +381 11 2656 846 or E-mail: beochess@EUnet.yu (Belgrade Chess Federation)

Official site: http://www.beochess.org.yu/2008/trofej_beograda2008/english_bgopen2008.html

Jose Marca Memorial

The III Open Internacional ITT Jose Marca Memorial takes place in 10th-18th Lima January 2009. Grandmasters Sergey Tiviakov, Julio Granda, Bartolomiej Macieja and Emilo Cordova compete.

Official site: http://www.peruchess.org

Bundesliga

The second Bundesliga weekend took place 25th-26th October 2008.

The Schachbundesliga season 2008/09 runs 3rd-5th October and runs until March 2009. 16 Teams compete with team rosters of 16-18 players but only eight play each weekend. There will be live coverage of all the games.

Dates: 4th-5th October 2008 25th-26th October 2008 29th-30th November 2008 12th-14th December 2008 (Here the official seventh round will be played. Although some will be played at other times) 31st January 2008 - 1st February 2009. 28th February - 1st March 2009. 28th-29th March 2009.

Official site of the Schachbundesliga (http://www.schachbundesliga.de/index.aspx) Further information (in German) and the entrance site for the live coverage: http://www.schachbundesliga.de/index.aspx

European Youth U-16 winners Texas Scholarships

The University of Texas at Dallas (USA) has offered scholarships to the winners of the U-16 European Youth Chess Championships since 2007. The agreement with the European Chess Union has been extended for another three years. The total value of the scholarships during this five-year period will be approximately 1 million USD, said James A. Stallings, Director of the UTD chess program.

Interview on the ECU website: http://www.europechess.org/home518.aspx?art=ft

Gjovik International Festival 2008-9

The Gjovik International Chess Festival 2008-9 takes place 29th December - 7th January 2009.

Magnus Carlsen, Peter Svidler, Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and Simen Agdestein play in a Super rapid tournament January 2nd-5th 2009.

The tournament has a similar format to the Mainz Classic, with a double round tournament followed by final and bronze final games. The Norwegian audience will be eager to see Magnus Carlsen on home-gound again, as he hasn't played in Norway during 2008.

The rapid contest is part of a chess festival with a big and varied program, held on occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Gjovik chess club. The festival starts on December 29th, and the main tournament is a 9 round GM-Swiss open to players with a rating abov 2100. Reigning European champion Sergei Tiviakov (NL) 2686 is the highest rated player of the preliminary list of participants. There is also a parallell group open for all players rated below 2100.

Official site: http://www.gjovikfestival.sjakkweb.no

4NCL

The 4NCL takes place 4th October 2008 - 4th May 2009.

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

68th Italian Championship

The 68th Italian Championship takes place 3rd December - 14th December 2008. The tournament will consist of 12 players in a round robin at the 4 star Park Hotel San Michele in Martina Franca. Games will be played on DGT boards, and viewable live at the Italian Chess Federation´s web site. The players are: GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Michele Godena, GM Carlos Garcia Palermo, IM Luca Shytaj, IM Sabino Brunello, IM Fabio Bruno, IM Denis Rombaldoni, IM Pierluigi Piscopo, IM Daniel Contin, FM Daniyyl Dvirnyy, FM Daniele Genocchio, and Alessio Valsecchi.

Official federation site:  http://www.federscacchi.it/

27th Elba Island Festival

The 27th International Chess Festival of Elba Island "Luigi Amalfi", takes place at the Hotel Lacona 10th-17th May 2009.

Details: http://www.tuscanhotels.it/en/cmsx.asp?IDPg=23

Milan

Milano, Italy, organized by Società Scacchistica Milanese (founded in 1881) Master group: December 6th-13th 2008, 9 rounds, global prizes 3.000 euro - with GMs and IMs Good conventions with hotels Address - via S.Uguzzone 8 = closed to the underground (MM1 - Villa SG). The Mediterranean Championship will start in Courmayeur (Aosta valley) The dates are December 13th-21st 2008. It is possible to travel and play both.

Web site: http://www.scacchisticamilanese.it

25th Bermuda Open

The 25th Bermuda Open takes place 30th January - 1st February 2008 at the luxurious Fairmont Southampton Resort on the South Shore with private tennis courts, golf course, beach, walking trails,  ferry into Hamilton for duty-free shopping 5 round Swiss. Register & pay on site.  For info contact Nigel Freeman at cadilly@northrock.bm or Carol Jarecki at carolj10280@yahoo.com  

9th Liberec Open

The 9th Liberec Open takes place 15th-22nd November 2008. Open FIDE, active chess and blitz tournament are part of the festival. More detailed information can be found in English, German, Russian and Polish at http://www.czechtour.net/liberec-open/

Icelandic Team Championship

Icelandic Team Champ 1st div first half took place 3rd-5th October 2008. The 2nd set of games are March 21st-22nd March 2009 if I understand the website correctly. A small number of games are available.

Official site: http://www.skaksamband.is/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=5982&Itemid=499# and results: http://chess-results.com/tnr16443.aspx?tnr=16443&art=16&lan=2&flag=30&m=-1

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

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/

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.

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.

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

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

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