THE WEEK IN CHESS 743 2nd February 2009 by Mark Crowther

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Contents

1) Introduction
2) 71st Corus Chess tournament
3) Gibraltar's Gibtelecom Chess Festival
4) Moscow International Open
5) Mate of the King in Tehran
6) Bundesliga
7) Gurgon International Open
8) Arcapita International Bahrain
9) Georgian Championships
10) Cuban Championship
11) LIX Verano Tournament
12) Seville International Open
13) 35th Eastern Open
14) Forthcoming Events and Links

Games Section
71st Corus Chess tournament105 games
Gibraltar's Gibtelecom Chess Festival645 games
Moscow International Open48 games
Mate of the King in Tehran8 games
Bundesliga128 games
Gurgon International Open57 games
Arcapita International Bahrain50 games
Georgian Championships74 games
Cuban Championship1 game
LIX Verano Tournament131 games
Seville International Open163 games
35th Eastern Open1 game
1411 games

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1) Introduction

My thanks to Axel Fritz, Brian Gaines, Christopher Rohrer, Georgios Souleidis, Mikhail Golubev, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr, Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh, Michael Atkins, Lazlo Nagy, Sean Hewitt, Varlam Vepkhvishvili and everyone else who helped with the issue.

The Corus Chess tournament ended in a photo finish with 6 players tied going into the final round. In the end Sergey Karjakin won the event after fending off and then beating Leinier Dominguez Perez who clearly had blood on his mind. The results was something of a surprise with Elo favourites Ivanchuk and Morozevich tieing for last place and Magnus Carlsen struggling to win and then losing a little too easily in the final round after his own winning chances and tournament winning chances disappeared. The A-Group didn't tell us a whole lot as to where we are at the moment but I guess Anand and Topalov won't be losing any sleep. The B-Group and C-Groups have got stronger over the years as invitations dry up worldwide it becomes more attractive to stronger players to play in these events. The B-Group was a big fight which should have been won by Nigel Short until he threw away at first a win and then a pretty easy draw against the eventual winner Fabiano Caruana. The C-Group was some kind of blood bath. All very enjoyable. There is plenty of chess elsewhere including the Gibtelecom Chess Festival.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) 71st Corus Chess tournament

The 71st Corus Chess tournament took place Friday, January 16th to Sunday, February 1st, 2009 in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. Sergey Karjakin took first place in the tournament after winning with black against Leinier Dominguez Perez in the final round. There were 6 tied for the lead going into the final round, Magnus Carlsen lost and he rest of the leaders drew. Nigel Short had the group-B in his grasp but somehow missed perpetual and handed the game and tournament victory to Fabiano Caruana. Wesley So confirmed his victory in the C-Group after a quick draw.

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

Daily video reports: http://www.chessvibes.com/

Library of photos: http://www.fredlucas.eu/gallery/agroup/ - Photos and reports: http://www.chessvista.com/ - http://www.chessdom.com has some new features with a forum and commentators.


Corus A Wijk aan Zee (NED), 17 i-1 ii 2009 cat. XIX (2716)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2706 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 8 2803
2. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2750 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 2770
3. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2761 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 2769
4. Movsesian, Sergei g SVK 2751 0 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 2770
5. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2776 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 7 2740
6. Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2717 0 1 ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 7 2745
7. Kamsky, Gata g USA 2725 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 2715
8. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2625 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 6 2694
9. Wang Yue g CHN 2739 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ 0 1 6 2685
10. Smeets, Jan g NED 2601 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 0 6 2695
11. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2779 1 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 * ½ ½ 0 2654
12. Stellwagen, Daniël g NED 2612 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 2667
13. Adams, Michael g ENG 2712 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 2659
14. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2771 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 1 1 ½ ½ * 2654

Round 9 (January 27, 2009)
Karjakin, Sergey - Movsesian, Sergei 1-0 68 B80 Sicilian Scheveningen
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Stellwagen, Daniël 1-0 51 C19 French Winawer
Kamsky, Gata - Aronian, Levon 0-1 80 C67 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Van Wely, Loek - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½ 36 A29 English Four Knights
Smeets, Jan - Wang Yue ½-½ 28 B33 Sicilian Sveshnikov
Adams, Michael - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 28 B70 Sicilian Dragon
Morozevich, Alexander - Radjabov, Teimour ½-½ 24 E60 King's Indian without Nc3
Round 10 (January 28, 2009)
Karjakin, Sergey - Van Wely, Loek ½-½ 42 B90 Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Aronian, Levon - Adams, Michael 1-0 45 E04 Catalan
Radjabov, Teimour - Smeets, Jan ½-½ 39 A07 Barcza System
Movsesian, Sergei - Wang Yue ½-½ 22 C42 Petroff's Defence
Carlsen, Magnus - Dominguez Perez, Leinier 1-0 39 D81 Gruenfeld Botvinnik
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Kamsky, Gata ½-½ 57 D94 Gruenfeld Closed
Stellwagen, Daniël - Morozevich, Alexander ½-½ 31 C92 Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Round 11 (January 30, 2009)
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Aronian, Levon 1-0 36 C88 Ruy Lopez Closed
Kamsky, Gata - Karjakin, Sergey 1-0 41 D02 Queen's Pawn Game
Van Wely, Loek - Movsesian, Sergei 0-1 44 A27 English Dutch System
Wang Yue - Radjabov, Teimour 0-1 64 E92 King's Indian Classical
Smeets, Jan - Stellwagen, Daniël ½-½ 35 B48 Sicilian Paulsen
Adams, Michael - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½ 37 B14 Caro Kann Panov
Morozevich, Alexander - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 41 E37 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Round 12 (January 31, 2009)
Karjakin, Sergey - Adams, Michael 1-0 35 C92 Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Aronian, Levon - Morozevich, Alexander ½-½ 44 D98 Gruenfeld Smyslov
Movsesian, Sergei - Radjabov, Teimour ½-½ 27 B30 Sicilian Rossolimo
Carlsen, Magnus - Smeets, Jan 1-0 29 B10 Caro Kann
Van Wely, Loek - Kamsky, Gata ½-½ 17 D15 Slav Defence
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Dominguez Perez, Leinier ½-½ 22 B54 Sicilian Rauzer
Stellwagen, Daniël - Wang Yue ½-½ 32 C67 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Round 13 (February 1, 2009)
Radjabov, Teimour - Stellwagen, Daniël ½-½ 24 B83 Sicilian Scheveningen
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Karjakin, Sergey 0-1 41 B90 Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Kamsky, Gata - Movsesian, Sergei ½-½ 47 B83 Sicilian Scheveningen
Wang Yue - Carlsen, Magnus 1-0 67 D45 Anti-Meran Variations
Smeets, Jan - Aronian, Levon ½-½ 22 B42 Sicilian Paulsen
Adams, Michael - Van Wely, Loek ½-½ 35 B84 Sicilian Scheveningen
Morozevich, Alexander - Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 45 D10 Slav Defence

Corus B Wijk aan Zee (NED), 17 i-1 ii 2009 cat. XVI (2641)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1. Caruana, Fabiano g ITA 2646 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 2751
2. Short, Nigel D g ENG 2663 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 8 2726
3. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2676 ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 8 2725
4. Kasimdzhanov, Rustam g UZB 2687 ½ 0 0 * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 8 2724
5. Volokitin, Andrei g UKR 2671 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 2696
6. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2702 1 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 2693
7. Efimenko, Zahar g UKR 2688 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 7 2666
8. Navara, David g CZE 2638 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 2641
9. Reinderman, Dimitri g NED 2549 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 6 2619
10. Hou Yifan wg CHN 2571 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 6 2617
11. L'Ami, Erwin g NED 2603 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ 2587
12. Mecking, Henrique g BRA 2567 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 2537
13. Werle, Jan g NED 2607 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 4 2503
14. Sasikiran, Krishnan g IND 2711 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * 4 2495

Round 9 (January 27, 2009)
Caruana, Fabiano - L'Ami, Erwin 1-0 56 D11 Slav Defence
Motylev, Alexander - Reinderman, Dimitri ½-½ 38 C80 Ruy Lopez Open
Volokitin, Andrei - Kasimdzhanov, Rustam ½-½ 31 C92 Ruy Lopez Chigorin
Efimenko, Zahar - Hou Yifan ½-½ 55 B80 Sicilian Scheveningen
Navara, David - Sasikiran, Krishnan 1-0 25 B25 Sicilian Closed
Mecking, Henrique - Short, Nigel D ½-½ 94 D37 QGD 5.Bf4
Werle, Jan - Vallejo Pons, Francisco 0-1 31 E97 King's Indian Classical
Round 10 (January 28, 2009)
Short, Nigel D - Motylev, Alexander ½-½ 48 B73 Sicilian Dragon
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam - Vallejo Pons, Francisco 1-0 46 D80 Gruenfeld 4.Bg5
Volokitin, Andrei - Mecking, Henrique ½-½ 25 C96 Ruy Lopez
Reinderman, Dimitri - Navara, David ½-½ 29 B80 Sicilian Scheveningen
Hou Yifan - Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ 56 B42 Sicilian Paulsen
L'Ami, Erwin - Werle, Jan 1-0 28 E12 Queens Indian Petrosian
Sasikiran, Krishnan - Efimenko, Zahar 0-1 41 E59 Nimzo Indian
Round 11 (January 30, 2009)
Caruana, Fabiano - Sasikiran, Krishnan 1-0 44 B84 Sicilian Scheveningen
Motylev, Alexander - Volokitin, Andrei ½-½ 26 C67 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Vallejo Pons, Francisco - L'Ami, Erwin 1-0 61 A15 English counter King's Fianchetto
Efimenko, Zahar - Reinderman, Dimitri 0-1 36 E60 King's Indian without Nc3
Navara, David - Short, Nigel D 0-1 27 B04 Alekhine's Defence
Mecking, Henrique - Kasimdzhanov, Rustam 0-1 90 A70 Benoni
Werle, Jan - Hou Yifan ½-½ 35 E15 Queens Indian
Round 12 (January 31, 2009)
Short, Nigel D - Efimenko, Zahar ½-½ 59 B92 Sicilian Najdorf with 6.Be2
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam - L'Ami, Erwin 1-0 41 D45 Anti-Meran Variations
Volokitin, Andrei - Navara, David 1-0 37 E04 Catalan
Reinderman, Dimitri - Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ 11 A25 English Sicilian Attack
Hou Yifan - Vallejo Pons, Francisco 1-0 31 B30 Sicilian Rossolimo
Mecking, Henrique - Motylev, Alexander ½-½ 13 A41 Modern Defence
Sasikiran, Krishnan - Werle, Jan 1-0 23 E21 Nimzo Indian 4.Nf3
Round 13 (February 1, 2009)
Caruana, Fabiano - Short, Nigel D 1-0 67 E06 Catalan
Motylev, Alexander - Kasimdzhanov, Rustam 1-0 75 B07 Pirc Defence
Vallejo Pons, Francisco - Sasikiran, Krishnan 1-0 52 C69 Ruy Lopez Exchange
Efimenko, Zahar - Volokitin, Andrei 1-0 40 B42 Sicilian Paulsen
Navara, David - Mecking, Henrique ½-½ 33 C96 Ruy Lopez
L'Ami, Erwin - Hou Yifan ½-½ 53 E12 Queens Indian Petrosian
Werle, Jan - Reinderman, Dimitri ½-½ 21 E94 King's Indian Classical

Corus C Wijk aan Zee (NED), 17 i-1 ii 2009 cat. XI (2521)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1. So, Wesley g PHI 2627 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 2687
2. Hillarp Persson, Tiger g SWE 2586 0 * 1 0 1 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 2626
3. Giri, Anish f RUS 2469 ½ 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 2635
4. Gupta, Abhijeet g IND 2569 ½ 1 0 * 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 2574
5. Howell, David W L g ENG 2622 ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2570
6. Holzke, Frank g GER 2524 1 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 1 ½ 2520
7. Harika, Dronavalli m IND 2473 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 6 2495
8. Bitalzadeh, Ali m NED 2400 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ * 1 0 0 1 0 0 2473
9. Nijboer, Friso g NED 2560 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 0 * 0 1 0 0 ½ 2461
10. Bosboom, Manuel m NED 2418 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 * 0 1 0 ½ 2472
11. Pruijssers, Roeland m NED 2444 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 * 0 1 ½ 2470
12. Iturrizaga, Eduardo g VEN 2528 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 0 1 * 1 1 2463
13. Leon Hoyos, Manuel g MEX 2542 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 * 1 5 2432
14. Romanishin, Oleg M g UKR 2533 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 * 2410

Round 9 (January 27, 2009)
Giri, Anish - Pruijssers, Roeland 1-0 23 E94 King's Indian Classical
Gupta, Abhijeet - Romanishin, Oleg M 1-0 48 E38 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Holzke, Frank - Bosboom, Manuel 1-0 41 E96 King's Indian Classical
Harika, Dronavalli - Hillarp Persson, Tiger ½-½ 43 D12 Slav Defence
Bitalzadeh, Ali - So, Wesley 0-1 36 A37 English Symmetrical
Iturrizaga, Eduardo - Nijboer, Friso 1-0 42 A21 English Opening
Leon Hoyos, Manuel - Howell, David W L 0-1 49 A16 English Opening
Round 10 (January 28, 2009)
Hillarp Persson, Tiger - Holzke, Frank 1-0 49 C54 Giuoco Piano
Giri, Anish - Gupta, Abhijeet 1-0 33 D90 Gruenfeld Flohr
Howell, David W L - Harika, Dronavalli 0-1 48 C65 Ruy Lopez Berlin
Nijboer, Friso - Leon Hoyos, Manuel 0-1 62 B35 Sicilian Defence
Bosboom, Manuel - Bitalzadeh, Ali 1-0 31 B57 Sicilian Sozin Attack
Pruijssers, Roeland - So, Wesley 0-1 47 B48 Sicilian Paulsen
Romanishin, Oleg M - Iturrizaga, Eduardo 0-1 31 A40 Unusual Replies to 1.d4
Round 11 (January 30, 2009)
So, Wesley - Bosboom, Manuel 1-0 33 B01 Centre Counter
Gupta, Abhijeet - Pruijssers, Roeland 0-1 30 E81 King's Indian Saemisch
Holzke, Frank - Howell, David W L ½-½ 39 E60 King's Indian without Nc3
Harika, Dronavalli - Nijboer, Friso 0-1 40 A41 Modern Defence
Bitalzadeh, Ali - Hillarp Persson, Tiger 1-0 46 B43 Sicilian Paulsen
Iturrizaga, Eduardo - Giri, Anish 0-1 57 D12 Slav Defence
Leon Hoyos, Manuel - Romanishin, Oleg M 1-0 45 A45 Trompowsky
Round 12 (January 31, 2009)
Hillarp Persson, Tiger - So, Wesley 0-1 39 D11 Slav Defence
Giri, Anish - Leon Hoyos, Manuel 1-0 33 A41 Modern Defence
Gupta, Abhijeet - Iturrizaga, Eduardo 1-0 43 E10 Blumenfeld Counter Gambit
Howell, David W L - Bitalzadeh, Ali 1-0 18 B40 Sicilian Classical
Nijboer, Friso - Holzke, Frank 1-0 40 C78 Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Pruijssers, Roeland - Bosboom, Manuel 1-0 42 B15 Caro Kann
Romanishin, Oleg M - Harika, Dronavalli 1-0 78 D11 Slav Defence
Round 13 (February 1, 2009)
So, Wesley - Howell, David W L ½-½ 19 C96 Ruy Lopez
Holzke, Frank - Romanishin, Oleg M ½-½ 11 E16 Queens Indian
Harika, Dronavalli - Giri, Anish ½-½ 59 D12 Slav Defence
Bitalzadeh, Ali - Nijboer, Friso 1-0 39 A85 Dutch
Bosboom, Manuel - Hillarp Persson, Tiger 0-1 29 A04 Dutch System
Iturrizaga, Eduardo - Pruijssers, Roeland 1-0 33 E94 King's Indian Classical
Leon Hoyos, Manuel - Gupta, Abhijeet 0-1 40 A15 English counter King's Fianchetto

3) Gibraltar's Gibtelecom Chess Festival

The 7th edition of Gibraltar's Gibtelecom Chess Festival takes place from Tuesday 27 January to Thursday 5 February 2009 at the Caleta Hotel. Vugar Gashimov leads after beating Alexander Beliavsky in round 7.

Official site: http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/gib2009/index.html

7th Gibtelecom Masters Caleta (ENG), 27 i-5 ii 2009
Leading Round 7 Standings:
Rank Name Fed. Rating Score Perf
1Gashimov, Vugar GMAZE 272362826
2Svidler, Peter GMRUS 27235.52780
3Harikrishna, Pentala GMIND 26735.52740
4Milov, Vadim GMSUI 26695.52703
5Beliavsky, Alexander G GMSLO 26465.52747
6Ganguly, Surya Shekhar GMIND 26145.52734
7Kotronias, Vasilios GMGRE 26035.52812
8Lopez Martinez, Josep Manu GMESP 25405.52646
9Nakamura, Hikaru GMUSA 269952606
10Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime GMFRA 269652602
11Roiz, Michael GMISR 264752648
12Avrukh, Boris GMISR 264552686
13Socko, Bartosz GMPOL 263152715
14Gurevich, Mikhail GMTUR 262452656
15Akobian, Varuzhan GMUSA 261952616
16Golod, Vitali GMISR 257552728
17Hammer, Jon Ludvig IMNOR 253252544
18Pavlovic, Milos GMSRB 252052430
19Dzagnidze, Nana GMGEO 251852644
20Papp, Gabor IMHUN 251752534
21Szabo, Krisztian IMHUN 250852484
22Hauchard, Arnaud GMFRA 249752718
23Al Sayed, Mohamad N. IMQAT 248852538
24Sokolov, Ivan GMNED 26574.52578
25Berkes, Ferenc GMHUN 26514.52585
26Berg, Emanuel GMSWE 26064.52540
27Stefanova, Antoaneta GMBUL 25574.52552
28Cramling, Pia GMSWE 25484.52430
29Speelman, Jon S GMENG 25364.52405
30Del Rio De Angelis, Salvad GMESP 25324.52482
31Gordon, Stephen J IMENG 25244.52502
32Berczes, David GMHUN 25134.52500
33Carlsson, Pontus GMSWE 25094.52436
34Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan IMSCO 25004.52476
35Kiik, Kalle IMEST 24664.52498
36Krush, Irina IMUSA 24574.52530
37Socko, Monika GMPOL 24494.52345
38D`Costa, Lorin A R IMENG 24454.52395
39Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel GMESP 24404.52465
40Karim, Ismael IMMarch24074.52388
41Nezad, Husein Aziz IMQAT 24034.52274
42Dittmar, Peter FMGER 23824.52346
43Nithander, Victor FMSWE 23694.52528
44Quillan, Gary ENG 23574.52512
45Vernay, Clovis IMFRA 23384.52434
46Natalicchio Escalante, Nic ESP 22384.52406
47Kozlov, Oleg IMRUS 21874.52413
48Lovik, Lasse Ostebo NOR 21844.52369
49Heinis, Vincent FRA 21704.52346
50Sandipan, Chanda GMIND 256842482
51Cmilyte, Viktorija IMLTU 249742412
52Trent, Lawrence IMENG 248742399
53Nemeth, Miklos IMHUN 247242464
54Zatonskih, Anna IMUSA 246242446
55Bruno, Fabio IMITA 246042313
56Devereaux, Maxim L IMENG 243742292
57Sachdev, Tania IMIND 243542294
58Hommeles, Theo FMNED 241042410
59Kharous, Ernest IMRUS 240042244
60Houska, Jovanka IMENG 239242446
194 players

4) Moscow International Open

The Moscow Open takes place January 31st - 8th February 2009 in the Russian State Social University, Moscow, Russia.

Official site: http://www.moscowchessopen.ru

Open Moscow (RUS), 31 i-19 ii 2009
Top 10 players
SNo. Name IRtg FED
1 GM Dreev Alexey 2688 RUS
2 GM Tiviakov Sergei 2685 NED
3 GM Sargissian Gabriel 2677 ARM
4 GM Areshchenko Alexander 2673 UKR
5 GM Timofeev Artyom 2671 RUS
6 GM Guseinov Gadir 2661 AZE
7 GM Onischuk Alexander 2659 USA
8 GM Inarkiev Ernesto 2656 RUS
9 GM Zhang Zhong 2656 SIN
10 GM Grachev Boris 2655 RUS
317 players

5) Mate of the King in Tehran

To mark the 30th Anniversary of the Islamic revolution there is a match between Anatoly Karpov and Ehsan Ghaem Maghami the event takes place in Tehran 26th January - 3rd February 2009. 4 Classical Games, 4 rapid games and 12 blitz games with many appearing on national tv. Organiser Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh. After three games the score is 1.5-1.5 in the classical section. The main thing is that every game is played to a total finish, mate, stalemate etc, no resignation or agreed draws.

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

Karpov, Anatoly - Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan 1-0 42 E32 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan - Karpov, Anatoly 1-0 91 B14 Caro Kann Panov
Karpov, Anatoly - Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan ½-½ 44 E36 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan - Karpov, Anatoly ½-½ 32 B14 Caro Kann Panov
Mate of the King Classical Tehran (IRI), 27-31 i 2009
1234
Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan g IRI 2604 0 1 ½ ½ 2 2644
Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2644 1 0 ½ ½ 2 2604

Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan - Karpov, Anatoly 0-1 29 B14 Caro Kann Panov
Karpov, Anatoly - Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan 0-1 48 E36 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan - Karpov, Anatoly 1-0 38 B14 Caro Kann Panov
Karpov, Anatoly - Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan 1-0 43 E36 Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2

Mate of the King Rapid Tehran (IRI), 1 ii 2009
1234
Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan g IRI 2604 0 1 1 0 2 2644
Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2644 1 0 0 1 2 2604

6) Bundesliga

After the winter break the 10th and 11th round of the German Schachbundesliga took place over the weekend of 31st January - 1st February 2009. Most of these games were in Berlin, where the host-teams SC Kreuzberg and SF Berlin played their games at the same place. The top-match of the weekend took place in Muelheim. League-leaders Baden-Baden drew against Muelheim-Nord to drop their first points but they still lead by three points.

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

Bundesliga 2008-9 (GER), 2 x 2008 - iii 2009
Round 10
SC Kreuzberg 4 - 4 TV Tegernsee
3 Maksimenko,An ½-½ Khenkin,Igor 4
4 Luther,Thomas 1-0 Sokolov,Andre 5
5 Shengelia,Dav ½-½ Ribli,Zoltan 7
7 Schilow,Vladi ½-½ Bischoff,Klau 8
8 Richter,Micha ½-½ Boensch,Uwe 9
10 Kalinitschew, ½-½ Teske,Henrik 10
11 Tischbierek,R ½-½ Hertneck,Gera 13
12 Berger,Steve --+ Gross,David 16
USV TU Dresden 3½-4½ FC Bayern Muenche
1 Maiwald,Jens- ½-½ Marcelin,Cyri 1
4 Gauglitz,Gern ½-½ Bezold,Michae 2
5 Seifert,Volke 0-1 Belezky,Alexa 3
6 Hoffmann,Paul ½-½ Jorczik,Julia 4
7 Eichner,Sebas 0-1 Renner,Christ 6
9 Wegener,Dirk 1-0 Heinzel,Olaf 8
10 Graf,Felix ½-½ Reich,Thomas 9
15 Salzmann,Pete ½-½ Unzicker,Ferd 14
SV Muelheim Nord 4 - 4 OSG Baden Baden
5 Landa,Konstan 0-1 Shirov,Alexei 3
6 Fridman,Danie ½-½ Nisipeanu,Liv 7
7 Potkin,Vladim 1-0 Bacrot,Etienn 8
11 Levin,Felix ½-½ Naiditsch,Ark 10
12 Berelovich,Al 0-1 Nielsen,Peter 11
13 Hausrath,Dani ½-½ Dautov,Rustem 14
14 Saltaev,Mihai ½-½ Schlosser,Phi 15
15 Schebler,Gerh 1-0 Doettling,Fab 16
SF Katernberg 3½-4½ SC Eppingen
6 Chuchelov,Vla ½-½ Braun,Arik 2
8 Firman,Nazar 1-0 Balogh,Csaba 4
9 Glek,Igor V 0-1 Gyimesi,Zolta 5
10 Seel,Christia ½-½ Bindrich,Falk 6
12 Siebrecht,Seb 0-1 Ruck,Robert 7
14 Souleidis,Geo 1-0 Acs,Peter 8
15 Thesing,Matth 0-1 Medvegy,Zolta 9
16 Scholz,Christ ½-½ Guliyev,Namig 10
Schachfreunde Be 2 - 6 SG Aljechin Soli
2 Markos,Jan 0-1 Nikolic,Predr 2
3 Miezis,Normun 0-1 Jussupow,Artu 5
4 Polzin,Rainer 0-1 Buhmann,Raine 7
6 Lauber,Arnd 1-0 Naumann,Alexa 8
7 Schneider,Ilj 0-1 Ragger,Markus 9
9 Berndt,Stepha ½-½ Ernst,Sipke 10
10 Degtiarev,Evg 0-1 Hoffmann,Mich 11
11 Thiede,Lars ½-½ Edouard,Romai 12
Hamburger SK 5 - 3 SV Wattenscheid
2 Baramidze,Dav ½-½ Najer,Evgeniy 1
3 Kempinski,Rob ½-½ Rustemov,Alex 5
6 Ftacnik,Lubom 0-1 Appel,Ralf 8
8 Mueller,Karst ½-½ Handke,Floria 10
10 Heinemann,Thi 1-0 Dinstuhl,Volk 11
13 Reeh,Oliver ½-½ Tereick,Benja 12
14 Huschenbeth,N 1-0 Straeter,Timo 13
15 Sebastian,Dir 1-0 Thiel,Thomas 15
SK Turm Emsdette 2 - 6 SC Remagen
2 Hector,Jonny 0-1 Goloshchapov, 4
3 Feygin,Michae 0-1 Gharamian,Tig 5
5 Janssen,Ruud ½-½ Huebner,Rober 7
6 Spoelman,Wout 1-0 Dgebuadze,Ale 8
8 Brandenburg,D 0-1 Degraeve,Jean 9
11 De Vreugt,Den 0-1 Mainka,Romual 10
13 Kabatianski,A 0-1 Popovic,Petar 11
14 Richter,Chris ½-½ Swinkels,Robi 12
Werder Bremen 4½-3½ SC Trier
2 McShane,Luke --+ Parligras,Mir 1
6 Fressinet,Lau ½-½ Bobras,Piotr 2
7 Meier,Georg ½-½ Cyborowski,Lu 3
10 Hracek,Zbynek ½-½ Jaracz,Pawel 6
11 Nyback,Tomi ½-½ Flumbort,Andr 8
12 Babula,Vlasti 1-0 Gonda,Laszlo 9
13 Fish,Gennadij 1-0 Galyas,Miklos 10
14 Skripchenko,A ½-½ Cioara,Andrei 13
Round 11
TV Tegernsee 7 - 1 USV TU Dresden
4 Khenkin,Igor 1-0 Maiwald,Jens- 1
5 Sokolov,Andre 1-0 Gauglitz,Gern 4
7 Ribli,Zoltan ½-½ Seifert,Volke 5
8 Bischoff,Klau 1-0 Hoffmann,Paul 6
9 Boensch,Uwe 1-0 Eichner,Sebas 7
10 Teske,Henrik 1-0 Wegener,Dirk 9
13 Hertneck,Gera ½-½ Graf,Felix 10
16 Gross,David 1-0 Salzmann,Pete 15
FC Bayern Muenche 3 - 5 SC Kreuzberg
1 Marcelin,Cyri ½-½ Maksimenko,An 3
2 Bezold,Michae ½-½ Luther,Thomas 4
3 Belezky,Alexa 0-1 Shengelia,Dav 5
4 Jorczik,Julia 0-1 Figura,Atila 6
6 Renner,Christ 1-0 Schilow,Vladi 7
7 Meissner,Bern 0-1 Richter,Micha 8
9 Reich,Thomas 0-1 Kalinitschew, 10
14 Unzicker,Ferd 1-0 Tischbierek,R 11
OSG Baden Baden 6½-1½ SF Katernberg
3 Shirov,Alexei 1-0 Chuchelov,Vla 6
7 Nisipeanu,Liv ½-½ Firman,Nazar 8
8 Bacrot,Etienn 1-0 Glek,Igor V 9
10 Naiditsch,Ark 1-0 Seel,Christia 10
11 Nielsen,Peter ½-½ Siebrecht,Seb 12
14 Dautov,Rustem 1-0 Souleidis,Geo 14
15 Schlosser,Phi ½-½ Thesing,Matth 15
16 Doettling,Fab 1-0 Scholz,Christ 16
SC Eppingen 5 - 3 SV Muelheim Nord
2 Braun,Arik ½-½ Landa,Konstan 5
4 Balogh,Csaba ½-½ Fridman,Danie 6
5 Gyimesi,Zolta ½-½ Potkin,Vladim 7
6 Bindrich,Falk ½-½ Levin,Felix 11
7 Ruck,Robert 1-0 Berelovich,Al 12
8 Acs,Peter ½-½ Hausrath,Dani 13
9 Medvegy,Zolta ½-½ Saltaev,Mihai 14
10 Guliyev,Namig 1-0 Schebler,Gerh 15
SG Aljechin Soli 4½-3½ Hamburger SK
2 Nikolic,Predr ½-½ Baramidze,Dav 2
5 Jussupow,Artu ½-½ Kempinski,Rob 3
7 Buhmann,Raine 1-0 Ftacnik,Lubom 6
8 Naumann,Alexa ½-½ Mueller,Karst 8
9 Ragger,Markus ½-½ Heinemann,Thi 10
10 Ernst,Sipke 1-0 Reeh,Oliver 13
11 Hoffmann,Mich 0-1 Huschenbeth,N 14
12 Edouard,Romai ½-½ Sebastian,Dir 15
SV Wattenscheid 3½-4½ Schachfreunde Be
1 Najer,Evgeniy ½-½ Markos,Jan 2
5 Rustemov,Alex ½-½ Miezis,Normun 3
8 Appel,Ralf ½-½ Polzin,Rainer 4
10 Handke,Floria ½-½ Lauber,Arnd 6
11 Dinstuhl,Volk 0-1 Schneider,Ilj 7
12 Tereick,Benja 1-0 Berndt,Stepha 9
13 Straeter,Timo ½-½ Degtiarev,Evg 10
15 Thiel,Thomas 0-1 Thiede,Lars 11
SC Remagen 2½-5½ Werder Bremen
4 Goloshchapov, 0-1 McShane,Luke 2
5 Gharamian,Tig ½-½ Fressinet,Lau 6
7 Huebner,Rober ½-½ Meier,Georg 7
8 Dgebuadze,Ale 0-1 Kritz,Leonid 8
9 Degraeve,Jean 0-1 Nyback,Tomi 11
10 Mainka,Romual 0-1 Babula,Vlasti 12
11 Popovic,Petar ½-½ Fish,Gennadij 13
12 Swinkels,Robi 1-0 Skripchenko,A 14
SC Trier 3½-4½ SK Turm Emsdette
1 Parligras,Mir 0-1 Hector,Jonny 2
2 Bobras,Piotr ½-½ Feygin,Michae 3
3 Cyborowski,Lu ½-½ Janssen,Ruud 5
6 Jaracz,Pawel 1-0 Spoelman,Wout 6
8 Flumbort,Andr 1-0 Brandenburg,D 8
9 Gonda,Laszlo 0-1 De Vreugt,Den 11
10 Galyas,Miklos ½-½ Kabatianski,A 13
13 Cioara,Andrei 0-1 Richter,Chris 14
Bundesliga 2008-9 (GER), 2 x 2008 - iii 2009
Venue: Berlin
Home Team: SC Kreuzberg
Round 10 Saturday, 31st January 2009, 2 pm
SC Kreuzberg4-4TV Tegernsee
USV TU Dresden3½-4½Bayern Muenchen
Round 11 Sunday, 1st February 2009, 10 am
TV Tegernsee7-1USV TU Dresden
Bayern Muenchen3-5SC Kreuzberg
Home Team: SF Berlin
Round 10 Saturday, 31st January 2009, 2 pm
SF Berlin2-6Aljechin Solingen
Hamburger SK5-3SV Wattenscheid
Round 11 Sunday, 1st February 2009, 10 am
Aljechin Solingen4½-3½Hamburger SK
SV Wattenscheid3½-4½SF Berlin
Home Team: Emsdetten
Round 10 Saturday, 31st January 2009, 2 pm
SK Turm Emsdetten2-6SC Remagen
Werder Bremen4½-3½SG Trier
Round 11 Sunday, 1st February 2009, 10 am
SC Remagen2½-5½Werder Bremen
SG Trier3½-4½SK Turm Emsdetten
Home Team: Muelheim
Round 10 Saturday, 31st January 2009, 2 pm
SV Muelheim-Nord4-4OSG Baden-Baden
SF Katernberg3½-4½SC Eppingen
Round 11 Sunday, 1st February 2009, 10 am
OSG Baden-Baden6½-1½SF Katernberg
SC Eppingen5-3SV Muelheim-Nord
Bundesliga 2008-9 (GER), 2 x 2008 - iii 2009
Round 11 Standings:
1. OSG Baden Baden 11 21 65
2. SC Eppingen 11 18 51
3. Werder Bremen 11 17 51
4. SG Aljechin Soli 11 17 51
5. SV Mülheim Nord 11 16 53½
6. TV Tegernsee 11 16 52
7. SC Kreuzberg 11 14 48½
8. SV Wattenscheid 11 12 47
9. Hamburger SK 11 11 43½
10. SK Turm Emsdette 11 8 39½
11. SC Remagen 11 7 42
12. SF Katernberg 11 7 40½
13. Schachfreunde Be 11 7 32½
14. FC Bayern Münche 11 3 30½
15. SC Trier 11 2 34½
16. USV TU Dresden 11 0 22

7) Gurgon International Open

The Gurgon International Open took place 21st-29th January 2009. Yuriy Kuzubov took first place on tie-break from Alexander Areshchenko, RR Laxman, Anuar Ismagambetow and Neelotpal Das after all scored 8/10.

Official site: http://www.delhichess.com/ and results: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr18973.aspx

1st Open Gurgon (IND), 21-29 i 2009
Leading Final Round 10 Standings:
RankNameTiRtgFEDPtsBH.
1Kuzubov YuriyGM 2626UKR869
2Areshchenko AlexanderGM 2673UKR868½
3Laxman R RIM 2478IND865
4Ismagambetov AnuarGM 2523KAZ864
5Neelotpal DasGM 2490IND863½
6Lalith Babu M R2477IND67½
7Ulibin MikhailGM 2511RUS66½
8Gleizerov EvgenyGM 2544RUS66½
9Sengupta DeepIM 2445IND65
10Girinath P D SIM 2404IND65
11Ibrayev NurlanGM 2407KAZ61
12Shivananda B S 2347IND60
13Anwesh Upadhyaya 2269IND59½
14Thakur Akash 2281IND59
15Himanshu SharmaIM 2405IND57½
16Mehar Chinna Reddy C H2246IND57½
17Sethuraman S PIM2415IND767½
18Solodovnichenko YuriGM2571UKR767
19Das ArghyadipIM2404IND764
20Saravana Krishnan P 2243IND763½
21Shyam Sundar MIM 2426IND763½
22Thipsay Praveen MGM 2453IND763
23Narayanan SrinathIM 2397IND763
24Saptarshi RoyIM 2410IND762
25Adhiban BIM 2504IND761½
26Konguvel PonnuswamyIM 2462IND761½
27Sangma Rahul2322IND760
28Suvrajit SahaIM2368IND760
29Shashikant Kutwal2285IND759½
30Rathnakaran KIM2431IND759
31Navin Kanna T U2302IND759
32Thejkumar M S2424IND758½
33Djuraev SokhibFM2353TJK758½
34Mohammad JavedFM2188BAN757
35Anilkumar O T2207IND754
36Jain Shreyansh Daklia2250IND753
37Iuldachev SaidaliGM 2520UZB66½
Murali Krishnan B TIM 2444IND66½
39Murshed NiazGM 2429BAN66
40Kunte AbhijitGM 2527IND65½
41Safin ShukhratGM 2518UZB62½
42Panchanathan Magesh ChandranGM 2490IND61
43Nitin SFM 2365IND61
44Dusthageer Ibrahim M2201IND61
45Palit Somak2400IND60½
46Premnath R2303IND60
47Roy Prantik2071IND59
48Debashis Das2365IND59
49Maheswaran P2297IND58½
50Mohammad Ali2232BAN58½
51Purushothaman T2267IND56½
52Matta Vinay Kumar2246IND55
53Vishnu Prasanna2266IND53½
54Abhishek Das2251IND53½
55Grover SahajFM 2266IND52½
56Prathamesh Sunil MokalIM2389IND665½
298 players

8) Arcapita International Bahrain

The Arcapita International Chess Championship took place 23rd January - 3rd February 2009 in Manama, Bahrain. Vadim Malakhatko finished in clear first place with 7½/9 and a first prize of £4,000 My thanks to Mikhail Golubev for the news and especially the games.

Official site: http://www.bahrainchessclub.com/ and daily results at: http://chess-results.com/tnr19072.aspx

Arcapita International Chess Championship Manama (BRN), 23 i - 3 ii 2009
Final Round 9 Standings:
RankSNo.NameTFEDRtgPtsRtgSum
12Malakhatko, VadimGMBEL261019875
28Iotov, ValentinGMBUL2556720005
311Moradiabadi, ElshanGMIRI2505719517
45Amin, BasemGMEGY256219818
516Roy Chowdhury, SaptarshiIMIND244419588
67Filippov, AntonGMUZB255619482
74Ibrahimov, RasulGMAZE256819396
815Jojua, DavitIMGEO248419352
99El Gindy, EssamGMEGY252719098
103Adly AhmedGMEGY256819040
1110Kveinys, AloyzasGMLTU2522619279
1212Kasparov, SergeyGMBLR2488619137
131Tregubov, Pavel VGMRUS2647619136
146Pelletier, YannickGMSUI2560619102
1526Adnani, MoklisFMMAR2326616730
1619Ezat MohamedIMEGY2421616485
1714Bagheri, AmirGMIRI2486616197
1818Sriram, JhaIMIND2441616043
1922Sharma Dinesh, KIMIND2394615883
2025Zozulia, AnnaIMBEL2376615841
2128Hassan, AbdullahIMUAE2320611769
2213Golubev, MikhailGMUKR248719196
2321Shoker, SamyIMFRA239918689
2417Sulashvili, MalkhazIMGEO244418397
2520Frhat, AliIMEGY240816847
2623Kiss, PalIMHUN238916255
2727Othman A, MoussaFMUAE232415969
2824Sarwat, WalaaIMEGY238815709
2996Roshan, DsouzaIND012056
3029Shetty, RahulIMIND231011905
3131Alhuwar, JasemFMUAE22709931
104 players

9) Georgian Championships

The Georgian Championships for men and women took place in Tbilisi 17th-30th January 2009. Tornike Sanikidze won the men's event with 8½/13 and Maia Lomineishvili won the women's event with 7/11. My thanks to Varlam Vepkhvishvili for the news and games.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr18907.aspx and official site in Georgian http://www.chesspoti.ge/

68th ch-GEO Tbilisi (GEO), 17-30 i 2009 cat. X (2492)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1. Sanikidze, Tornike g GEO 2522 * 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 2599
2. Gagunashvili, Merab g GEO 2585 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 8 2571
3. Mchedlishvili, Mikheil g GEO 2619 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 8 2568
4. Pantsulaia, Levan g GEO 2583 0 ½ ½ * 1 ½ 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 8 2571
5. Margvelashvili, Giorgi m GEO 2484 ½ 1 ½ 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 7 2521
6. Azaladze, Shota GEO 2402 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 7 2527
7. Bregadze, Levan f GEO 2394 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ * 0 1 0 0 1 ½ ½ 6 2470
8. Nigalidze, Gaioz GEO 2458 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 6 2465
9. Benidze, Davit m GEO 2423 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 6 2467
10. Magalashvili, Davit m GEO 2490 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 * ½ ½ ½ 0 6 2462
11. Shanava, Konstantine g GEO 2508 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 6 2461
12. Arutinian, David g GEO 2586 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 2427
13. Bagaturov, Giorgi g GEO 2492 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 1 5 2404
14. Charkhalashvili, Inga wg GEO 2337 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 * 4 2362

66th ch-GEO w Tbilisi (GEO), 17-28 i 2009 cat. IV (2333)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Lomineishvili, Maia m GEO 2437 * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 7 2425
2. Khurtsidze, Nino m GEO 2421 1 * ½ 0 1 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 2389
3. Khukhashvili, Sopiko m GEO 2416 0 ½ * 1 1 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 2390
4. Melia, Salome m GEO 2422 ½ 1 0 * 0 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 2389
5. Paikidze, Nazi wf GEO 2280 ½ 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 2402
6. Guramishvili, Sopiko wm GEO 2281 ½ 0 0 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 2402
7. Tsatsalashvili, Keti wm GEO 2231 0 1 1 0 ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 1 0 2342
8. Gvetadze, Sopio m GEO 2377 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 * 0 1 ½ 1 2328
9. Mikadze, Miranda wm GEO 2287 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ 5 2300
10. Arabidze, Meri wf GEO 2246 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 * ½ 0 2207
11. Danelia, Mariam wm GEO 2219 ½ 1 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 2210
12. Gaprindashvili, Nona1 g GEO 2376 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ * 2195

10) Cuban Championship

Cuban Championship - Final took place 20th - 28th January in Las Tunas, Cuba Lazaro Bruzon Batista won the event with the best tie-break after four players tied on 5,5/9. Sadly just the one game published in a newspaper is available.

Official site: http://www.capablanca.co.cu

ch-CUB Las Tunas (CUB), 20-28 i 2009 cat. XII (2530)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Bruzon Batista, Lazaro g CUB 2617 * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 2599
2. Delgado Ramirez, Neuris g CUB 2550 ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 0 1 2607
3. Martinez, Lelys f CUB 2485 ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 2614
4. Bacallao, Yusnel f CUB 2438 0 0 1 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 2619
5. Quezada Perez, Yuniesky g CUB 2590 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 0 1 1 2522
6. Corrales Jimenez, Fidel m CUB 2586 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ ½ 1 2523
7. Hernandez Carmenates, Holden g CUB 2568 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 2525
8. Gonzalez Vidal, Yuri m CUB 2507 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * ½ 0 4 2489
9. Almeida Quintana, Omar g CUB 2521 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 2450
10. Blanco, Humberto f CUB 2434 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ * 2 2320

11) LIX Verano Tournament

The LIX Verano Tournament takes place in Villa Ballester 19th-31st January 2009. Sandro Mareco finished on 8/9 a point clear of Jorge Cori Tello and Ernesto Real De Azua. Games from the first 6 rounds only available. No detailed standings available.

Official site: http://www.ballesterajedrez.org.ar/blog/index.php

12) Seville International Open

The XXXIV Open Internacional "Ciudad de Sevilla" took place 23rd-31st January 2009. Manuel Rivas Pastor won the event with 7.5/9.

Games from the final round missing.

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

XXXIV Open Seville (ESP), 23-31 i 2009
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rank Name TiFED Rtg Pts BH.
1RIVAS PASTOR Manuel GM ESP 251445
2SPRAGGETT Kevin GM CAN 2586746
3HUERGA LEACHE Mikel IM ESP 2418745½
4MATAMOROS FRANCO Carlos S GM ECU 2532745½
5SALGADO LOPEZ Ivan GM ESP 2554745½
6KURAJICA Bojan GM CRO 2552745
7POGORELOV Ruslan GM UKR 2451741½
8ROBLES GARCIA Claudia WIM ESP 2258737½
9STRIKOVIC Aleksa GM SRB 253346
10DE LA VILLA GARCIA Jesus Maria GM ESP 246944
11RAZMYSLOV Alexander FM UKR 240444
12FERNANDEZ ROMERO Ernesto IM ESP 244643½
13VAN HOOLANDT Patrick FM MNC 223543
14IBARRA JEREZ Jose Carlos IM ESP 251342
15RIZOUK Aimen GM ALG 251842
16IVANOV Jordan IM BUL 243641½
17PAUNOVIC Dragan GM SRB 252641
18BARRIA Daniel IM CHI 241940
19GUERRA Tulcan Lenin ECU 231040
20TERAN ALVAREZ Ismael IM ESP 243639½
21RECUERO GUERRA David IM ESP 243539
22MADEIRA Wagner Martins BRA 221239
23DIAZ CASTRO Sergio ESP 222338½
24ALONSO GARCIA Rene IM CUB 236838½
25KOMLJENOVIC Davorin GM CRO 2418645½
26GRANDA ZUNIGA Julio E GM PER 2625643½
27GARCIA LUQUE Agustin IM ESP 2390640½
28JIMENEZ DE LA TORRE Jose A ESP 2168640½
29HOFFMAN Alejandro GM ARG 2425640½
30SGNAOLIN Davide ITA 2209640
31DELGADO LOZANO Jose Manuel ESP 1937640
32MONTERO CAMPUZANO Rafael ESP 2078640
33SANTOS IZQUIERDO Francisco J FM ESP 2280639
34CAMPORA Daniel H GM ARG 2522639
35PRADOS MONTANO Antonio CM ESP 2210638½
36ANAYA LOPEZ Victor Jose ESP 2087638
37MOYA DE LA FLOR Daniel ESP 1998637½
38FERNANDEZ RUIZ Manuel Alejandro ESP 2083637
39ARANAZ MURILLO Amalia ESP 1995636½
40RIOBOO DE LARRIVA Alvaro ESP 1965635
41GOMEZ FERIA Jose Maria ESP 1965631½
42BERBATOV Kiprian FM BUL 239243
226 players

13) 35th Eastern Open

The 35th Eastern Open took place 27th-30th December 2008. Alex Yermolinsky took clear first with 6.5/8. There is a correction to one of the results and also the event was 8 rounds not 7 as I said last week.

35th Eastern Open Washington DC (USA), 27-30 xii 2008
Final Round 8 Standings:
#NameTiRtngTotPrize
1YermolinskyAlexGM25726.51500
2KudrinSergeyGM26056783.33
3RobsonRayIM25316783.33
4LudwigDaniel24556783.33
5SmithBryan GIM24835.5210
6KleimanJakeFM23655.5210
7YeagerDaniel AFM23435.5210
8FiglerIlyeFM23415.5210
9BetaneliAlexFM23185.5210
10ShenVictor C22545.5725
11EnkhbatTegshsureFM24275
12AndrewsTodd DFM23795
13ZhaoParker23285
14UesugiShinsaku23155
15ThalerMichael22835
16PrivmanBorisFM22315
17StrenzwilkDenis22005
18Camarga MouraPedro20135
19IvanovAlexanderGM26114.5
20SantariusErik F22994.5
21GetzAlecFM22604.5
22SamuelsonAndrew22104.5
23ShermanDavid22014.5
69 players

14) Forthcoming Events and Links

25th Bermuda Open

The 25th Bermuda Open took place 30th January - 1st February 2009 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. 

Bunratty Chess Festival

The Bunratty Chess Festival takes place 20th-22nd February 2009. Peter Svidler will be returning to defend his title.

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

First Saturday February

The First Saturday tournaments take place 7th-20th February in Budapest. There are 1-2 vacancies for players who wish to come to play for GM or IM-norms. Contact: Nagy Laszlo firstsat@hu.inter.net .

Aivars Gipslis Memorial

The Aivars Gipslis Memorial takes place 12th-18th February 2009. Organised by the Riga Chess Federation. They are looking for 1 foreign GM and one player with high motivation to get GM norm. Contact: Vadik Daskevics vadik.dashkevich@gmail.com

Aivars Gipslis Memorial Riga (LAT), 12 - 18 ii 2009
Players so far:
Ilmars StarostitsIMLAT2500
Juzefs PetkevichGMLAT2435
Samolins VitalijsLAT2430
Janis KlovansGMLAT2418
Mihailovs JurijsLAT2398
Abasov Nijat Azad olgu AZE2397
Vladimir SveshnikovFMLAT2397
Valdis SaulespurensFMUSA2384

21st Lenk International Chess Festival

After a great jubilee with the 20th Lenk Chess Festival, last year has come the shock news that the, 21st Lenk International Tournament, April 9th-13th 2009 will be the last chess event in the Simmental region, a very attractive tourist area. "Beochess" with "Swiss Chess Tour" this year close all their chess activity. During 21 years Lenk became very popular in chess world and it will be pity if nobody keeps on the tremendous tradition.

So, last time, Hotel Kreuz will be venue, Lenk Open. Swiss system, 7 rounds and the games will last a maximum of 5 hours (40 moves for 2 hours and 30 minutes till the end). The prizes: 1.500 SF, 1.200, 800, 600, 400, 2x300 and 3x200 SF. Special prizes: Ladies, senior (1948), junior(1989-92), schoolboy (1993) and amateur (under 2000) for all: 200 CHF. Entry fee 130 SF, FMs and juniors 60 SF, at the door 20 SF more, GMs and IMs free. Venue: Hotel "Kreuz". Time table: Round 1st 18.00-23.00 April 9,; Rounds 2/3 10.00-15.00 and 16.00-21.00 April 10,; Round 4 14.00-19.00 April 11,; Rounds 5/6 10.00-15.00 and 16.00-21.00 April 12,; Round 7 10.00-15.00 April 13. Closing ceremony April 13 at 16.00.

Info: Beochess +41+62+965-46-50 (Robert Spoerri) or info@beochess.ch or site http://www.beochess.ch for more details.

Zuerich Chess Club 200th Anniversary

Dr. Christian Rohrer reports: The world's oldest chess club celebrates its 200th year with spectacular jubilee events, including World Champions Spassky, Kasparov and Anand.

The Schachgesellschaft Zuerich celebrates 200th anniversary with spectacular jubilee events

The Schachgesellschaft Zuerich, the world's oldest chess club, celebrates its 200th year in 2009 with spectacular jubilee events. To mark the anniversary, some of the greatest masters of the last five decades, including World Champions Spassky, Kasparov and Anand, will play at the event. Highlights will be a simultaneous exhibition and a rapid chess tournament on the 22nd and 23rd of August, held in Zurich Main Railway Station. With generous sponsor support from Credit Suisse the Schachgesellschaft Zuerich continues its long standing tradition of world class chess tournaments.

On Saturday the 22nd of August, in simultaneous games 200 amateurs will be honoured to face eight word-class chess players, who have made historical contributions to world chess over the last 50 years: Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov. On Sunday the 23rd of August, these champions will compete against each other in an exciting rapid chess format. Judit Polgar, the strongest female chess player ever, and Werner Hug of Schachgesellschaft Zuerich, former world junior chess champion, will replace Kasparov and Spassky, who have retired from competitive chess.

A huge number of spectators, from enthusiasts to the generally curious, is expected for the events at Zurich Railway Main Station. And no one need miss it: All commemorative events will be streamed live via Internet.

The jubilee commences with an open tournament; certain to be one of the most exciting open chess tournaments of 2009. Players of every skill level, from beginners to the elite world class, are expected and will be welcomed at the Zurich Kongresshaus from August 9th to the 15th, 2009. They will compete in two tournaments, 9 rounds each, for CHF 100.000 guaranteed prize money and many attractive prizes.

To further honour the occasion, Richard Forster, reputable chess historian, will release his comprehensive book, researched in great detail, on the unique history of the Schachgesellschaft Zuerich. Entitled "Schachgesellschaft Zuerich: 1809 bis 2009", Forster's work will analyze the development of the Schachgesellschaft Zuerich from the times of Napoleon to the present day.

Details: http://www.sgzurich2009.ch

5th Thessaloniki Games Festival

The 5th Thessaloniki Games Festival takes place 26th April - 4th May 2009.

Official site: http://www.gamesfestival.com/ (wasn't working when I checked) and a full listing of the event.

32nd Ikaros Chess Festival 2009

The traditional 32nd Ikaros Chess Festival 2009 takes place on Ikaria island.

The main event of the festival, the International Aegean Open Championship takes place 11th-19th July 2009. It is a 9 round swiss event with prize fund 3600 Euros in total (1st prize 1000 Euros, special money prizes for ladies and veterans). Special conditions for GMs/IMs and WGMs/WIMs are provided, special discounts for families and club teams are also offered (more information will be available in the official announcement of the festival that will be out soon on the official webpage.

Contact info: ikaros@chess.gr while to contact us on the phone one can try: +30 6932 478386 or +30 210 5010871 (Mr. Savas Kyriakou). For general information about the island of Ikaria one can also check at: http://www.island-ikaria.com

Official site: http://www.chess.gr/ikaros

32nd San Sebastian Open

32nd San Sebastian International Open, takes place 5th-12th April 2009 in the Spanish northern city of San Sebastian (near french border).

Info: http://www.fgajedrez.org/open/open.htm

Tancats de la Societat Coral

The Tancats de la Societat Coral Colon Grup GM takes place 23rd January - 20th March 2009.

Official site: http://chess-results.com/tnr18677.aspx

Pula Open 2009

The 23rd International Chess Tournament "Pula Open 2009" takes place 27th June - 4th July 2009 in Pula, Croatia. Official site: http://www.skpula.hr and contact e-mail: pulaopen@globalnet.hr.

Aeroflot Open 2009

The mega Aeroflot Open takes place in Moscow 16th February (the day of arrival) to 27th February 2009 (the day of departure). There are five tournaments the main ones being: A1 higher than 2549 70000 Euros, A2 higher than 2399, but lower than 2550 36000 Euros, B higher than 2199, but lower than 2400 19500 Euros and C lower than 2200 and unrated 12000 Euros. Time control: Tournament A 1 and A 2: 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour, finally 15 minutes for the remaining moves with an increment of 30 seconds per move in the last period. Tournament B and C: 90 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move 1.

Blitz Tournament 26 Feb. 2009 a double nine-round Swiss Blitz Tournament will be held in the same venue. It is a Qualification Tournament for the World Blitz Championship 2009 (Final). The final tournament will take place in Moscow from 15 to 17 Nov.2009.

Information e-mail: aeroflotchess@gmail.com tel/fax: +7 (495) 691-8578 tel.: +7 (495) 690-6084

Details at the official site: http://www.aeroflotchess.com/

Hungarian Chess Tournaments March-October 2009

1. 7th-19th of February, FIRST SATURDAY GM-IM-FM Budapest FIRST SATURDAY Budapest, 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/

2.20th-28th of February IM-Rating Caissa, Kecskemet, org: Dr.Erdelyi, Tamás, cellphone: +36-30-271-33-38, Landline phone-fax: +36-76-481-685 e-mail: postmaster@caissa.t-online.hu Website: http://www.caissachessbooks.hu Usually also in the second half of the month IM and rating tournaments in Kecskemet, a city 80 km South-East from Budapest.

3.7th-19th of March, First Saturday, Budapest, GM-IM-FM, org Nagy L.

4.20th-28th of March, 25th BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL 9 rounds Swiss Open, org: Nagy L. - e-mail: firstsat@hu.inter.net

5.4th-16th of April First Saturday Budapest, org.Nagy L.

6.18th-26th of April Caissa, IM + rating Kecskemet, Org.Erdelyi,

7.2nd-14th of May, First Saturday GM-IM-FM Budapest, org Nagy L.

Kecskemet Caissa IM + rating tournaments more: 16th-25th of May, 20th-28th of June, 18th-27th of July, 15th-24th of August, 19th-28th of September. FIRST SATURDAY Budapest GM-IM-FM tournaments more: 6th-18th of June, 4th-16th of July, 1st-13th of August, 5th-17th of September.

4NCL

The 4NCL takes place 4th October 2008 - 4th May 2009. Rounds 3-4 took place 6th-7th December 2008 in the Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Island.

Official site: http://www.4ncl.co.uk

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

Novi Sad Open

1) Open turnir , 10-11 jan. 2009 , Srpska Nova g. u N. Sadu , 5 kola , rejtinguje se !!, fide tempo http://www.drazic.co.rs

2) IM , berger, 10-18.jan.2009. , 10 rounds, fide tempo, Novi SAd, for elo and norms fide, http://www.drazic.co.rs

3) Open turnir , 16-18 jan.2009, Novi Sad "Zima u Novom Sadu", 5 kola , rejtinguje se !!, fide tempo http://www.drazic.co.rs

4) cuger turnir , Olimpik, 12. jan.2009, Novi Sad, start 20 h , http://www.drazic.co.rs

5) program of chess edukation, every day from 12-15 jan. 2009 chess lessons with varius GM and Im (available in 3 languages),,,, some of teachers GM Kosanovic G. , GM SEdlak Nikola, GM Kovacevic A , GM DRazic Sinisa etc...

6) Open t. , "Dunav-Drava -Sava" , Banja Junakovic(87km from N.Sad), 9 rounds, fide tempo, possible norms fide and elo, date - 21-25.01.2009., special package , only 130 eur, 4 days full board with available swiming pool, and include also entry fee !! more http://www.drazic.co.rs Special discount for people who take part in more than one events.

Luis Scalise

Luis Scalise's chess pages have moved to: http://scalise.fortunecity.com/

7th Nancy Chess Festival

The 7th International Chess Festival takes place in Nancy (France) 16th-22nd February 2009. It will be a category 13 with average elo over 2550 (with january-elo). With the indian number 3 Pentala Harikrishna, the french number 5 Christian Bauer, the young hope of Germany Georg Meier, and the numbers 2 and 3 under-20 in France : Edouard and Feller (born in 1990 and 1991)...

Players: GM Harikrishna, P 2659 India GM Tregubov, Pavel 2646 Russia GM Krasenkow, Michal 2624 Poland GM Bauer, Christian 2592 France GM Meier, Georg 2558 Germany IM Edouard, Romain 2531 France GM Feller, Sebastien 2526 France IM Gozzoli, Yannick 2503 France IM Brunner, Nicolas 2415 France IM Nezar, Mustapha 2399 France

The all Festival includes 14 closed tournaments (10 players each) for all levels of players. Web (in french and english) : http://echecs54.free.fr/

Grand Slam Masters Final

The 2nd edition of the Grand Slam Masters Final will be played in Bilbao, September 2-15th 2009. The winners of Corus-Wijk aan Zee, Ciudad de Linares and Mtel Masters-Sofia tournaments will qualify directly for the Masters Final in Bilbao, where the first edition (played at a central square, inside a glass cube) was a very big success last September.

More details on the 2009 tournament (number of players, system of play, etc) will be announced at the end of the Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee. The Grand Slam is in negotiations to include one more high level tournament in the 2009 circuit.

Grand Slam Chess Association (GSCA)

Dresden, 23 November 2008

Austrian Team Championship

The Austrian team championship started in St Veit 7th-9th November 2008, the 11 round competition has further rounds 22nd-25th January and 19th-22nd March 2009. Players in the first three rounds included: Sergei Movsesian, Hikaru Nakamura, Emil Sutovsky, Jan Gustafsson and Alexander Beliavsky.

Official site: http://www.chess.at/ and results: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr12353.aspx

Chess Study

Dr Robert Howard is making a study of rated chess players.

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

Bundesliga

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

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

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

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

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.

GM Boris Alterman's Chess Lessons

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

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

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