THE WEEK IN CHESS 759 25th May 2009 by Mark Crowther

Sponsored by the London Chess Centre

TWIC Home| The London Chess Centre| Online-Shop

Contact The Week in Chess
Mark Crowther
E-Mail mdcrowth@btinternet.com
Mobile 07971 920016
http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html

Contents

1) Introduction
2) 5th M-Tel Masters
3) 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup
4) Young Stars of the World
5) 84th Argentine Championships
6) 8th Asian Continental
7) XXVIII Zalakaros Open
8) Chicago Open
9) Calgary International
10) 27th Liechtenstein Open
11) 3rd Porto Mannu Open
12) China's 2009 World Cup Qualification
13) 14th International Stuttgart Championship
14) De Caguas Categoria Internacional
15) 27th Elba Island Festival
16) III La Laguna Open
17) 82nd St Petersburg Championship
18) Buenos Aires Champions League
19) 39th Bosna Open
20) III Wunsiedel International Chess Festival
21) The London Chess Classic in December
22) Catalan Championships
23) Forthcoming Events and Links

Games Section
5th M-Tel Masters15 games
3rd ACP World Rapid Cup44 games
Young Stars of the World18 games
84th Argentine Championships30 games
8th Asian Continental695 games
XXVIII Zalakaros Open162 games
Chicago Open73 games
Calgary International36 games
27th Liechtenstein Open181 games
3rd Porto Mannu Open221 games
China's 2009 World Cup Qualification132 games
14th International Stuttgart Championship70 games
III La Laguna Open359 games
82nd St Petersburg Championship55 games
Buenos Aires Champions League29 games
39th Bosna Open24 games
Catalan Championships34 games
2179 games

Contact the London Chess Centre
E-Mail info@chess.co.uk
Tel: +44 020-73882404 Fax:+44 020-73882407
USA Telephone Orders: 1 561 827 0993
http://www.chess.co.uk/

Join Chess Express and receive all the latest chess news straight into your inbox. Simply click here to start receiving chess express

Links:

New Shop: http://www.chess.co.uk/shop

Big Mega

My 60 Memorable Games

ChessBase Now Out

1) Introduction

My thanks to Adolivio Capece, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr, Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh, Jozsef Horvath, Rohan Waithe, Peter Svidler, Marcelo Pagano, Yin Hao, Luis Scalise, Mikhail Golubev, Igor Glek and everyone else who helped with the issue.

Alexei Shirov was the surprise but deserved winner of the 5th M-Tel Masters. He had white against Magnus Carlse in the final round knowing that a win still might not be enough. Shirov got the upper hand in a double edged position and Carlsen blundered under the pressure. Veselin Topalov couldn't win against Wang Yue as black, and Shirov won the event alone. I don't remember Shirov having a tournament result close to being as good as this and it takes him to the tournament in Bilbao later in the year. I am pleased for him and I think this success is more than over due. Even in this era of databases we see time after time that maturity does count with years of study being required to produce a fully rounded opening repertoire. I particularly think of Boris Gelfand in this, and with a bit of luck on his side Gelfand took first place in the 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup defeating Peter Svidler in the final of this knockout tournament. So plenty of chess to get stuck into this week.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) 5th M-Tel Masters

The 5th M-Tel Masters took place in Sofia 12th-23rd May 2009 (rest day 18th May). In the best result of his career Alexei Shirov took clear first place after defeating Magnus Carlsen in the final round. Carlsen took 2nd place on tie-break from Veselin Topalov, both won three games but Carlsen beat Topalov in one of their individual games.

The Category XXI event saw Veselin Topalov, Magnus Carlsen, Vassily Ivanchuk, Wang Yue, Leinier Dominguez Perez and Alexei Shirov play in a double round robin format. The games were played in a glass pavilion on the square in front of the National Theatre Ivan Vazov.

The time control was 90 minutes for 40 moves per player and 60 minutes per player till the end of the game. The maximum period for a single game is 5 hours. "Sofia rules" were used. They are that: Opponents cannot communicate during the games and cannot offer a draw. Proposals for a draw can be made only through the Chief Arbiter in three cases: triple repetition, eternal chess and theoretical draw position. When making the decisions the Chief Arbiter will be consulted by Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Vice President of FIDE.

Official site: http://www.mtelmasters.com - including live coverage.


5th Mtel Masters Sofia (BUL), 13-23 v 2009 cat. XXI (2755)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2745 * * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 2866
2. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2770 ½ 0 * * 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 6 2823
3. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2812 ½ ½ 0 ½ * * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 6 2815
4. Wang Yue g CHN 2738 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ * * ½ ½ 1 ½ 2722
5. Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2717 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * * ½ 0 4 2690
6. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2746 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * * 3 2607

Round 6 (May 19, 2009)
Shirov, Alexei - Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 49 C80 Ruy Lopez Open
Topalov, Veselin - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 45 D56 Queens Gambit Lasker's Defence
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Wang Yue ½-½ 40 C42 Petroff's Defence
Round 7 (May 20, 2009)
Carlsen, Magnus - Dominguez Perez, Leinier 1-0 43 D97 Gruenfeld Russian
Topalov, Veselin - Shirov, Alexei ½-½ 30 D44 Anti-Meran Gambit
Wang Yue - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½ 34 A62 Benoni
Round 8 (May 21, 2009)
Shirov, Alexei - Wang Yue ½-½ 44 E04 Catalan
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Topalov, Veselin ½-½ 43 B90 Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ 41 B35 Sicilian Defence
Round 9 (May 22, 2009)
Carlsen, Magnus - Wang Yue 1-0 33 D15 Slav Defence
Topalov, Veselin - Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 81 C97 Ruy Lopez
Dominguez Perez, Leinier - Shirov, Alexei ½-½ 50 C78 Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Round 10 (May 23, 2009)
Shirov, Alexei - Carlsen, Magnus 1-0 30 B33 Sicilian Sveshnikov
Wang Yue - Topalov, Veselin ½-½ 33 D82 Gruenfeld 4.Bf4
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Dominguez Perez, Leinier 1-0 56 D74 Gruenfeld 3.g3

3) 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup

The 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup organised by the Pivdenny Bank in Odessa, Ukraine took place 22nd-24th May 2009. Boris Gelfand took clear first place with a 3-1 victory over Peter Svidler in the final. Svidler however blew two winning positions in the final two games, losing both instead.

The venue was the Odessa National Academy of Law. AKO tournament with 16 participants. There were two-game matches at all stages, prior to the final. In the final there were four games. The time control is 20 minutes per game with an increment of 5 seconds per move. Tiebreak time rate: 3 min + 2 sec per move. If tiebreak ends 1-1, then Armageddon will be played: 5 min White, 4 min Black, White must win.

The prize fund is USD $57,000. The winner receives USD $10,000. There will be a special prize, named after the Odessa IM Mikhail Podgaets who passed away on 14 May 2009.

Official site: http://worldcup.pivdenny.com

3rd ACP World Rapid Cup (UKR), 22-24 v 2009. Cat XVIII (2693)
1/8 22 v 20091/4 23 v 20091/2 23 v 2009Final 24 v 2009Winner
A.Grischuk (W)2
19:30 A.Grischuk1.5
P.Eljanov (B)0
A.Grischuk0.5
A.Moiseenko (W)1.5
19:30 A.Moiseenko0.5
E. Bacrot (B)0,5
P.Svidler1
S.Movsesian (W)1.5
12:00 S.Movsesian1.5
P.Tregubov (B)0.5
P.Svidler1.5
A.Karpov (W)1.5
12:00 P.Svidler2.5
P.Svidler (B)2.5
B.Gelfand
M.Gurevich (W)0.5
17:00 D.Jakovenko3
D.Jakovenko (B)1.5
D.Jakovenko2
Y.Drozdovskij (W)1
17:00 A.Naiditsch2
A.Naiditsch (B)3
B.Gelfand3
E.Najer (W)0.5
14:30 B.Gelfand2
B.Gelfand (B)1.5
B.Gelfand3
V.Gashimov (W)1.5
14:30 V.Gashimov0
Z.Efimenko (B)0.5
3rd ACP World Rapid Cup (UKR), 22-24 v 2009. Cat XVIII (2693)
Schedule of rounds:
DateRoundTime
22 May1/8 final matchesfrom 12:00; 14:30; 17:00; 19:30
23 May1/4 final matchesfrom 12:00; 14:30
23 May1/2 final matchesfrom 18:00
24 MayFinalfrom 12:00
The local time is GMT +3.
3rd ACP World Rapid Cup (UKR), 22-24 v 2009. Cat XVIII (2693)
Players list
GM Dmitry Jakovenko RUS2753
GM Alexander Grischuk RUS2748
GM Sergei Movsesian SVK2747
GM Boris Gelfand ISR2733
GM Vugar Gashimov AZE2730
GM Etienne Bacrot FRA2728
GM Peter Svidler RUS2726
GM Arkadij Naiditsch GER2700
GM Pavel Eljanov UKR2693
GM Alexander Moiseenko UKR2690
GM Zahar Efimenko UKR2682
GM Evgeniy Najer RUS2669
GM Anatoly Karpov RUS2644
GM Pavel Tregubov RUS2628
GM Mikhail Gurevich TUR2613
GM Yuri Drozdovskij UKR2603

4) Young Stars of the World

The Young Stars of the World, Vanya Somov Memorial took place 8th-21st May 2009 in Kirishi city (Leningrad region) in the Culture Palace. Twelve of the strongest young chess players in the world competed. Daniil Dubov took first place on tie-break from Aleksandr Shimanov after both finished on 7½/11.

Official site: http://www.somovs-memorial.ru/

Further information: http://www.bs-chess.com/russian.html (RUS) and http://www.bs-chess.com/latin/english.html

Young Stars of the World Kirishi (RUS), 9-20 v 2009 cat. V (2368)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Dubov, Daniil f RUS 2372 * ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 2500
2. Shimanov, Aleksandr m RUS 2519 ½ * 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 2487
3. Fedoseev, Vladimir3 f RUS 2318 0 0 * ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 2437
4. Stukopin, Andrey f RUS 2380 0 1 ½ * ½ 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 2432
5. Belous, Vladimir RUS 2414 0 1 0 ½ * ½ 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 2429
6. Bukavshin, Ivan f RUS 2365 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ * 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 6 2404
7. Naroditsky, Daniel f USA 2335 ½ ½ 0 0 1 1 * 0 ½ ½ 1 1 6 2407
8. Narayanan, Srinath m IND 2381 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 * ½ 1 ½ 1 6 2403
9. Ipatov, Alexander ESP m ESP 2486 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 2292
10. Chan Yi-Ren, Daniel f SIN 2375 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 4 2265
11. Kovalev, Vladislav f BLR 2320 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 4 2270
12. Ganichev, Alexander RUS 2154 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 * 1 2004

5) 84th Argentine Championships

The 84th Championships of Argentina 2009 took place in April and May. Semifinals: 30th April - 6th May, 2009 in the Club Espanol in La Plata. Diego Flores took clear first place with 7½/11.

Official site: http://www.ajedrez.com.ar/

84th ch-ARG La Plata (ARG), 11-12 v 2009 cat. IX (2467)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1. Flores, Diego g ARG 2579 * ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 2590
2. Felgaer, Ruben g ARG 2561 ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 7 2560
3. Mareco, Sandro m ARG 2503 0 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 2529
4. Peralta, Fernando g ARG 2545 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 2525
5. Lafuente, Pablo g ARG 2524 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 2527
6. Alonso, Salvador m ARG 2441 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1 6 2505
7. Slipak, Sergio g ARG 2452 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 2468
8. Valerga, Diego m ARG 2523 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 * ½ 0 ½ ½ 5 2426
9. Claverie, Raul ARG 2374 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 2410
10. Orsini, Antonio ARG 2352 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 * 0 ½ 2412
11. Perez Ponsa, Federico f ARG 2390 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * 1 2409
12. Lujan, Carolina m ARG 2364 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 * 2 2214

Round 7 (May 18, 2009)
Flores, Diego - Alonso, Salvador ½-½ 86 A16 English Opening
Felgaer, Ruben - Valerga, Diego 1-0 53 B81 Sicilian Keres Attack
Mareco, Sandro - Claverie, Raul 0-1 31 A91 Dutch Classical
Peralta, Fernando - Orsini, Antonio ½-½ 64 E94 King's Indian Classical
Lafuente, Pablo - Perez Ponsa, Federico 1-0 47 E60 King's Indian without Nc3
Slipak, Sergio - Lujan, Carolina ½-½ 12 D05 Colle System
Round 8 (May 19, 2009)
Flores, Diego - Felgaer, Ruben ½-½ 26 A36 English Botvinnik
Alonso, Salvador - Claverie, Raul 1-0 35 C16 French Winawer
Valerga, Diego - Slipak, Sergio 1-0 46 C31 Falkbeer Counter Gambit
Orsini, Antonio - Mareco, Sandro 0-1 71 B12 Caro Kann Advanced
Perez Ponsa, Federico - Peralta, Fernando 0-1 69 B07 Pirc Defence
Lujan, Carolina - Lafuente, Pablo 0-1 26 C50 Giuoco Piano
Round 9 (May 20, 2009)
Felgaer, Ruben - Alonso, Salvador ½-½ 62 B59 Sicilian Boleslavsky
Mareco, Sandro - Perez Ponsa, Federico 1-0 52 E94 King's Indian Classical
Peralta, Fernando - Lujan, Carolina 1-0 33 D87 Gruenfeld Botvinnik
Lafuente, Pablo - Valerga, Diego ½-½ 40 A16 English Opening
Slipak, Sergio - Flores, Diego 1-0 37 A40 Unusual Replies to 1.d4
Claverie, Raul - Orsini, Antonio 0-1 37 C06 French Tarrasch
Round 10 (May 21, 2009)
Flores, Diego - Lafuente, Pablo 1-0 38 E68 King's Indian Fianchetto
Felgaer, Ruben - Slipak, Sergio ½-½ 55 C50 Giuoco Piano
Alonso, Salvador - Orsini, Antonio ½-½ 40 C11 French Defence
Valerga, Diego - Peralta, Fernando 0-1 44 D38 QGD Ragozin
Perez Ponsa, Federico - Claverie, Raul ½-½ 19 C10 French Rubinstein
Lujan, Carolina - Mareco, Sandro 0-1 61 C54 Giuoco Piano
Round 11 (May 22, 2009)
Mareco, Sandro - Valerga, Diego ½-½ 27 D45 Anti-Meran Variations
Peralta, Fernando - Flores, Diego 0-1 46 A67 Benoni Three Pawns System
Lafuente, Pablo - Felgaer, Ruben ½-½ 49 D17 Slav Defence
Slipak, Sergio - Alonso, Salvador ½-½ 12 D93 Gruenfeld 5.Bf4
Claverie, Raul - Lujan, Carolina 1-0 50 B22 Sicilian Alapin
Orsini, Antonio - Perez Ponsa, Federico 0-1 45 B86 Sicilian Sozin Attack

6) 8th Asian Continental

The 8th Asian Continental / Individual Open and Women's Championships take place in Subic, Philippines 12th - 24th May 2009.

The Asian Open and Women's Championships took place 13th-23rd May 2009 in Subic Freeport, Philippines. Qualification for the World Cup scheduled 20th November - 15th December 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia and to the Women's World Championship next year. Surya Shekhar Ganguly won the men's event on tie-break from Zhou Weiqi after both finished on 8/11. Zhang Xiaowen won the women's event with 9/11.

86 Players from 15 Coutries include 40 GM's, 15 IM's and 8 FM's compete in Open Section and 45 Players from 11 countries include 1GM, 13 WGM's, 1 IM, 8 WIM and 10 WFM compete in Women Section .

Official site; http://asia-chess.com/main/

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr21903.aspx and http://chess-results.com/tnr21902.aspx

8th Asian Continental Open Subic Bay (PHI), 13-23 v 2009
Final Round 11 Standings:
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1 TB2
1GMGanguly Surya ShekharIND26258,025462554
2GMZhou WeiqiCHN25638,025052515
3Yu YangyiCHN24337,525752582
4GMYu ShaotengCHN25047,525702585
5GMLe Quang LiemVIE25917,525452551
6GMAntonio Rogelio JrPHI25187,525292544
7GMHou YifanCHN25907,525252535
8GMZhou JianchaoCHN26357,524992506
9GMSandipan ChandaIND25587,025772587
10GMSasikiran KrishnanIND26827,025282536
11GMKunte AbhijitIND25137,025102526
12GMGupta AbhijeetIND25707,025082514
13GMNegi ParimarjanIND25927,024942502
14GMNguyen Ngoc Truong SonVIE25887,024902497
15GMLi ShilongCHN25577,024892498
16GMKazhgaleyev MurtasKAZ26267,024742481
17GMFilippov AntonUZB25847,024712479
18GMDao Thien HaiVIE25466,525532569
19Wan YunguoCHN24346,525362556
20IMAl Sayed Moh Mad NQAT24966,525352551
21GMSo WesleyPHI26416,525202527
22GMTorre EugenioPHI25616,525012511
23Ding LirenCHN24586,025962604
24GMRahman ZiaurBAN25236,025492558
25GMIuldachev SaidaliUZB24976,025482569
26GMMurshed NiazBAN24076,025482554
27IMToufighi HomayoonIRI24786,025472567
28GMMoradiabadi ElshanIRI25266,025432559
29GMTu Hoang ThongVIE25066,025252543
30Gao RuiCHN25006,025182532
31Pak EvgeniyKAZ23286,025122524
32Gundavaa BayarsaikhanMGL24616,025042523
33GMDeepan Chakkravarthy JIND24826,024802497
34GMLaylo DarwinPHI25096,024772488
35GMAl-Modiahki MohamadQAT25856,024642472
36CMNguyen Van HuyVIE24236,024632483
37GMGhaem Maghami EhsanIRI25936,024582463
38GMWang RuiCHN24346,024362446
39GMMegaranto SusantoINA25536,024342440
40Xiu DeshunCHN24225,525542560
41IMBitoon RichardPHI24795,525322549
42IMHarika DronavalliIND24745,525212550
43FMBatchuluun TsegmedMGL23915,525152521
44FMVidit Santosh GujrathiIND24415,525132530
45GMMahjoob MortezaIRI24985,524952514
46GMBui VinhVIE25225,524742481
47IMNolte RolandoPHI24795,524682486
48GMNguyen Anh DungVIE25185,524502462
49GMHossain EnamulBAN25315,524472453
50GMVillamayor BuenaventuraPHI24745,523962405
51IMIrwanto SadikinINA24475,025442551
86 players
8th Asian Continental Women Subic Bay (PHI), 13-23 v 2009
Final Round 11 Standings:
Rk.NameFEDRtgPts. TB1 TB2
1WIMZhang XiaowenCHN23409,023492363
2WGMHuang QianCHN24108,023132332
3WFMDing YixinCHN22817,523822389
4WGMMeenakshi SubbaramanIND23037,522852309
5WGMZhang JilinCHN23357,023472361
6Ju WenjunCHN24547,023472355
7WGMMunguntuul BatkhuyagMGL24407,023372350
8WGMKaravade EeshaIND23597,023162329
9WGMHoang Thi Bao TramVIE22396,523622372
10IMTania SachdevIND24236,523452351
11WGMSukandar Irine KharismaINA23006,523242347
12GMZhu ChenQAT24916,523192330
13WGMNguyen Thi Thanh AnVIE23246,522982314
14WIMXu TongCHN22316,522882305
15WIMPourkashiyan AtousaIRI22736,522852310
16WGMGu XiaobingCHN23366,023092327
17WGMLe Thanh TuVIE23266,022932312
18WIMMuminova NafisaUZB22126,022702292
19WFMDang Bich NgocVIE21856,022322255
20WFMLe Thi Phuong LienVIE22166,021882205
21WGMSwathi GhateIND23305,523742386
22WFMCamacho Chardine CheradeePHI21665,523132333
23Xu HuahuaCHN20935,522602272
24Lkhamsuren UuganbayarMGL20385,522292240
25WIMLe Kieu Thien KimVIE22775,522032217
26Wang XiaohuiCHN22655,521692185
27WGMMohota NishaIND23045,022952314
45 players

7) XXVIII Zalakaros Open

The XXVIII Zalakaros Open took place 8th-16th May 2009. Cao Sang took first place on tie-break from Gyula Pap and Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy after all made 6.5/9. My thanks to Jozsef Horvath for the games.

Official site: http://csutisk.extra.hu/documents/blog_5.php?title=a-csoport&entry_id=1242424980

XXVIII Open Zalakaros (HUN), 8-16 v 2009
Final Round 9 Standings:
1. 6 Cao, Sang m VIE 2512 6.5 52.0 36.50 36.5 2584 +0.92
12 Pap, Gyula m HUN 2466 6.5 48.5 34.00 34.5 2549 +1.20
9 Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy m VIE 2484 6.5 47.0 33.75 33.5 2545 +0.82
4. 1 Groszpeter, Attila g HUN 2553 6.0 53.0 34.75 32.5 2557 +0.08
3 Gonda, Laszlo m HUN 2522 6.0 50.5 33.00 33.0 2538 +0.26
10 Bokros, Albert m HUN 2483 6.0 48.0 30.75 32.0 2483 +0.16
11 Czebe, Attila g HUN 2472 6.0 45.5 28.50 32.0 2521 +0.74
13 Csiszar, Csaba m HUN 2450 6.0 45.0 28.25 30.5 2521 +0.90
21 Konnyu, Janos m HUN 2367 6.0 45.0 28.00 29.5 2477 +1.35
14 Horvath, Peter1 g HUN 2445 6.0 43.0 27.75 28.5 2422 -0.10
11 15 Meszaros, Tamas m HUN 2434 5.5 47.5 27.00 30.0 2488 +0.78
5 Szabo, Krisztian m HUN 2518 5.5 47.0 27.00 29.0 2446 -0.69
7 Banusz, Tamas m HUN 2502 5.5 46.5 27.00 29.5 2411 -0.85
16 Duong The Anh m VIE 2434 5.5 45.5 25.25 31.0 2469 +0.58
8 Romanishin, Oleg M g UKR 2501 5.5 45.5 25.75 29.5 2449 -0.47
18 Berczes, Csaba m HUN 2381 5.5 42.5 23.75 26.5 2355 -0.18
17. 2 Medvegy, Zoltan g HUN 2546 5.0 46.0 24.00 29.0 2415 -1.48
19 Horvath, Gyula m HUN 2370 5.0 43.5 22.75 26.0 2337 -0.37
22 Kernazhitsky, Leonid m UKR 2331 5.0 43.0 20.75 26.0 2322 -0.10
38 Bereczki, Janos HUN 2191 5.0 42.5 22.00 22.5 2369 +1.95
20 Feher, Adam HUN 2251 5.0 41.0 21.25 26.0 2313 -0.65
25 Brustkern, Juergen f GER 2292 5.0 39.0 17.50 24.0 2272 -0.21
39 Juhasz, Kristof HUN 2189 5.0 35.0 15.00 23.0 2287 +1.10
24. 50 Kovacs, Lajos HUN 2126 4.5 46.0 19.75 23.0 2304 +1.67
61 players

8) Chicago Open

The Chicago Open takes place May 22nd-25th 2009 in Wheeling, IL.

Official site: http://chesstournamentservices.com/cca/

9) Calgary International

Calgary, Alberta (Canada) staged a small 9 round swiss international norm event May 14th-18th, 2009. Anton Kovalyov and Edward Porper scored 6½/9.

Official site:http://www.albertachess.org/Calgary_International.html

CICC Open Calgary (CAN), 14-18 v 2009
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1. Kovalyov, Anton g ARG 2557 +16 =5 +4 +2 =3 =9 =6 +10 =7 2491
2. Porper, Edward m CAN 2435 +9 +6 =3 -1 +5 +7 -4 +12 +14 2500
3. Castellanos Rodriguez, Renier m ESP 2446 +18 +17 =2 =5 =1 =4 +9 =6 =8 6 2495
4. Hansen, Eric f CAN 2398 +14 +7 -1 =8 =6 =3 +2 =5 =19 2456
5. Kustar, Sandor m HUN 2335 +12 =1 +11 =3 -2 =6 =8 =4 +13 2431
6. O'Donnell, Tom m CAN 2370 +20 -2 =10 +18 =4 =5 =1 =3 +12 2401
7. Pechenkin, Vladimir CAN 2312 +10 -4 =18 =11 +12 -2 +15 +19 =1 2388
8. Fedorowicz, John P g USA 2485 =19 =15 =9 =4 =10 =11 =5 +16 =3 5 2340
9. Kaminski, Victor CAN 2244 -2 +20 =8 +15 +19 =1 -3 +13 -11 5 2387
10. Kazmaier, Daniel CAN 2135 -7 +14 =6 =19 =8 +17 =13 -1 =16 2311
11. Moloney, Nicholas R ENG 2210 =15 +19 -5 =7 =17 =8 -12 -14 +9 4 2250
12. Gardner, Robert CAN 2143 -5 =16 +14 =17 -7 +18 +11 -2 -6 4 2248
13. Me, Kevin CAN 2116 -17 -18 +20 +16 =15 +19 =10 -9 -5 4 2215
14. Haessel, Dale R f CAN 2203 -4 -10 -12 +20 =18 =16 +19 +11 -2 4 2208
15. Donaldson, John W m USA 2409 =11 =8 =17 -9 =13 +20 -7 . . 3 2211
16. Ristovic, Nenad f CAN 2252 -1 =12 -19 -13 =20 =14 +17 -8 =10 3 2135
17. Peter, Steven CAN 2264 +13 -3 =15 =12 =11 -10 -16 . . 2142
18. Huber, Gregory f CAN 2245 -3 +13 =7 -6 =14 -12 =20 . . 2153
19. Peng, David CAN 2245 =8 -11 +16 =10 -9 -13 -14 -7 =4 2095
20. Neven, Knut CAN 2199 -6 -9 -13 -14 =16 -15 =18 . . 1 1953

10) 27th Liechtenstein Open

The 27th Liechtenstein International Chess Open took place 15th-23rd May 2009 in the Gemeindesaal in Triesen. Imre Hera jr edged out Sebastian Bogner on tie-break after both scored 7/9.

Official site: http://www.schach.li/

27th Liechtenstein International Chess Open Triesen LIE 15-23 v 2009
Final Round 9 Standings:
Rg.NameFEDEloPkt.Wtg1
1Hera Imre JrGMHUN2533756.5
2Bogner SebastianIMGER2511752
3Farago IvanGMHUN24916.554.5
4Dgebuadze AlexandreGMBEL25396.553.5
5Siebrecht SebastianGMGER24336.553
6Hommeles TheoFMNED24156.551.5
7Pribyl JosefIMCZE23466.551
8Foisor Cristina-AdelaIMROU24236.547
9Hirneise TobiasFMGER24076.546
10Kohlweyer BerndIMGER2435653.5
11Van Der Weide KarelGMNED2497652
12Foisor Ovidiu-DoruIMROU2408650.5
13Bezler RainerAUT2281647
14Brestian EgonIMAUT2392646
15Tiemann ChristophGER2083645
16Habibi AliIMGER2290644.5
17Keller ManfredCMGER2202644.5
18Hug MarcelSUI23005.550
19Bruehl AndreasFMGER23655.549.5
20Mannhart MarcelLIE21405.548.5
21Peredy FerencIMHUN22345.548
22Klings PeterGER21525.547.5
23Raykhman AlexanderGER22975.546.5
24Kuhn ThomasSUI21695.545.5
25Popa ClaudioCMITA22185.545
26Ballon GuentherFMNED21665.544.5
27Vilerte TamaraWGMLAT22385.544.5
28Csiba DominikSVK23775.544.5
29Neuberger GuidoGER21655.543
30Kessler MichaelaAUT18655.540.5
31Van Heirzeele DanielBEL21775.537
107 players

11) 3rd Porto Mannu Open

The 3rd Porto Mannu Open took place 16th-23rd May 2009. Stuart Conquest took first place with 7/9 half a point clear of the field. Daniele Vocaturo made his 3rd and final GM norm.

Official site: http://asd.caissa.it/portomannu2009/

Porto Mannu Open Palau (ITA), 16-23 v 2009
Pos NAME Fed T Rtg Pts Buc1 BucT
1Conquest Stuart C ENGGM 2549750.555
2Tiviakov Sergei NEDGM 26976.550.555.5
3Marin Mihail ROUGM 25646.548.553.5
4Lemos Damian ARGGM 25126.54954
5Korneev Oleg RUSGM 25876.547.553
6Jussupow Artur GERGM 25766.54752.5
7Pelletier Yannick SUIGM 25596.54851.5
8Skembris Spyridon GREGM 24346.547.553
9Naumkin Igor RUSGM 24886.54448.5
10Cmilyte Viktorija LTUIM 24986.54550
11Schaefer Michael GER-- 21726.54144.5
12Vocaturo Daniele ITAIM 2480649.554.5
13Hillarp Persson Tige SWEGM 261864853
14D'Amore Carlo ITAIM 2483648.553
15Bitalzadeh Ali NEDIM 2417645.549.5
16Grandelius Nils SWEIM 249164752
17Malakhatko Vadim BELGM 2618645.550.5
18Miedema Roi NEDFM 2370646.551
19Cori Jorge PERFM 241864549.5
20Loeffler Stefan GERIM 241264751.5
21Thorfinnsson Bjorn ISLFM 2422643.548
22Shytaj Carlo ITA-- 2212643.547.5
23Pospisil Evzen CZE-- 2145639.543
24Piscopo Pierluigi ITAIM 24055.544.549
25Cori T. Deysi PERWIM 22625.545.549.5
26Van Eijk Sander NEDFM 23195.545.550
27Collutiis Duilio ITAIM 24515.547.552.5
28Stromboli Carlo ITA-- 22835.54650
29Friedrich Norbert GERFM 23505.543.548
30Paglietti Nicola ITAFM 22695.54246
178 players

12) China's 2009 World Cup Qualification

China's 2010 World Cup Qualification events for Men and Women took place 17th - 28th April 2009 in Beijing. 12 men competed for 2 places and Zhou Jianchao and Wang Hao finished level on 7/11. 12 women played for 4 places Ruan Lufei and Shen Yang made 7.5/11, Huang Qian and Ju Wenjun made 7. Wang Yue, Ni Hua, Bu Xiangzhi, Hou Yifan, Zhao Xue and Xu Yuhua are already qualified by rating. (Info: China Chess Association). My thanks to Yin Hao for a full games file for both tournaments.

News: http://blog.sina.com.cn/chessnews

Official site: http://chess.sport.org.cn/

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr21467.aspx - http://chess-results.com/tnr21468.aspx

FIDE results http://ratings.fide.com/tournament_report.phtml?event16=43340 but still no games.

Qualifier Beijing (CHN), 17-28 iv 2009 cat. XII (2541)
Rk.NameRtgFED123456789101112Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1GMZhou Jianchao2635CHN*½½½1½1½½½½17,00,5336,75
2GMWang Hao2696CHN½*½½½½½1½½117,00,5336,00
3GMLi Chao B2643CHN½½*½½111½½½06,50,0335,75
4GMZhou Weiqi2563CHN½½½*½010½11½6,00,5332,00
5GMWen Yang2532CHN0½½½*1½1½0½16,00,5331,00
6Gao Rui2500CHN½½010*0110½15,50,0428,75
7Yu Yangyi2433CHN0½00½1*½11½05,02,5326,75
8Ding Liren2458CHN½00100½*½1½15,02,0325,25
9GMZhao Jun2560CHN½½½½½00½*1015,01,5227,25
10Xiu Deshun2422CHN½½½011000*1½5,00,0328,00
11GMLi Shilong2557CHN½0½0½½½½10*½4,50,0124,25
12GMXu Jun2498CHN001½00100½½*3,50,0219,25

Qualifier w Beijing (CHN), 17-28 iv 2009 cat. V (2353)
Rk.NameRtgFED123456789101112Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1WGMRuan Lufei2486CHN*½0½½½1111½17,50,5536,50
2WGMShen Yang2420CHN½*½½½½½1½1117,50,5437,00
3WGMHuang Qian2410CHN1½*½½½11½½017,00,5438,00
4Ju Wenjun2454CHN½½½*0½½1½1117,00,5434,00
5IMWang Yu2364CHN½½½1*0½½1½1½6,50,0334,50
6Tan Zhongyi2436CHN½½½½1*½000115,50,0330,50
7WGMGu Xiaobing2336CHN0½0½½½*101105,00,0325,25
8Wang Xiaohui2265CHN0000½10*11½½4,51,0320,75
9WFMDing Yixin2281CHN0½½½0110*0104,50,0324,75
10WIMZhang Xiaowen2340CHN00½0½1001*014,00,0320,25
11Wang Jue2162CHN½010000½01*½3,50,5218,75
12WGMZhang Jilin2335CHN0000½01½10½*3,50,5216,75

13) 14th International Stuttgart Championship

The 14th "International Stuttgart Championship" in Germany took place 21th-24th May 2009. Sergei Ovsejevitsch edged out Maxim Chetverik and Dmitry Svetushkin on tie-break after all finished on 6/7.

For further information on the event: http://www.stuttgarter-stadtmeisterschaft.de

Stuttgarter State Champs A Ditzingen (GER), 21-24 v 2009
PlPlayerTiNATRating+=-PtsBuchh
1Ovsejevitsch,Sergei GM UKR 2580520634
2Chetverik,Maxim IM RUS 2323520631
3Svetushkin,Dmitry GM MDA 2615601628
4Schuh,Dirk FM GER 23134305.531.5
5Luther,Thomas GM GER 25514305.531
6Strunski,Andreas GER 23405115.531
7Eisenbeiser,Amadeus IM GER 24064305.528
8Vuckovic,Aleksandar FM GER 23264305.526
9Gutman,Lev GM GER 2494502531.5
10Gschnitzer,Oswald,Dr. IM GER 2429421531
11Reinhardt,Bernd GER 2344421530.5
12Wettengel,Alexander GER 2074421530
13Wagner,Florian FM GER 2302502527
14Kabisch,Thilo GER 2297502527
15Nabavi,Parwis SUI 2126421525.5
16Fiderer,Lukas GER 2153421525
17Dudek,Richard GER 2254502524
18Hirneise,Jens FM GER 23084124.531
130 players

14) De Caguas Categoria Internacional

The Casa del Ajedrez en Caguas took place in Puerto Rico 14th-17th May 2009. Carlso Matamoros Franco won on tie-break from Jacek Stopa and Alonso Zapata Ramirez after all scored 6/8. No games available.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr21847.aspx?lan=2

Casa del Ajedrez en Caguas PUR 14-17 v 2009
Rk.NameTiFEDFIDEPts.Des 1
1Matamoros Franco Carlos S.GMECU253561.5
2Stopa JacekIMPOL247161
3Zapata Ramirez AlonsoGMCOL251460.5
4Montalvo Rosario AlejandroIMPUR225150
5Almedina Ortiz Edgardo JPUR20874.50
6Santana Alvarado MiguelPUR21684.50
7Montanez Nazario RobertoPUR20554.50
8Santa Torres JuanIMPUR224540
9Fierro Baquero Martha L.IMECU241140
10Campiz Jimenez LeonardoPUR208240
11Diaz Montes EdwinPUR040
12Freyre Forest JorgePUR210040
13Segarra Choe TammyPUR18253.50.5
14Sosa Trani LuisFMPUR21333.50.5
15Rabin Evan Z.USA203330
16Camacho Fabre RafaelPUR030
17Perez Borrero GeorgePUR030
18Pressman LeifUSA20572.50
19Molina Millan AlbertoPUR02.50
20Yagiz BoraUSA19102.50
21Ortiz Vives Carlos R.PUR020
22Aldama Degurnay DionisioIMMEX245800

15) 27th Elba Island Festival

The 27th International Chess Festival of Elba Island "Luigi Amalfi", took place at the Hotel Lacona 10th-17th May 2009. Top seed Lexy Ortega took clear first with 8/9. Marco Codenotti (12 years old) also had a good result. Games are promised but not yet available.

Results: http://www.scacchielba.it/Lacona%202009/Open%20A/wwwOpen%20A/index.html

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

27th Elba Island Festival ITA 10-17 v 2009
Pos NAME T Fed Rtg Pts Buc1
1ORTEGA Lexy GM ITA2442844.5
2MOLINA Fabrizio FM ITA2240646
3LJUBISAVLJEVIC Zivoj IM SRB2278645.5
4PULITO Alberto M ITA22565.545.5
5CODENOTTI Marco CM ITA20355.545
6PALEOLOGU Vladimir CM SUI21915.544
7CORDARA Michele FM ITA20935.543.5
8EVANGELISTI Claudio M ITA22605.540
9CACINSCHI Alexandru 1N ITA19495.539.5
10PEPINO Enrico CM ITA2148541.5
11PAOLINELLI Giacomo CM ITA2171539
12COLOMBO Paolo M ITA2138538
13PETROLO Mauro CM ITA1946535
27 players

16) III La Laguna Open

The III La Laguna Open took place 4th-10th May 2009. Julio Granda Zuniga won the event with 8/11. The games section has now been repaired and I give all the games again.

Official site; http://www.lalagunainternacionalajedrez.com and Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr21480.aspx

17) 82nd St Petersburg Championship

The 82nd St Petersburg Championship (closed as opposed to the open a few months ago) took place 8th-18th May 2009. Maxim Matlakov edged out Pavel Anisimov and Vasily Yemelin all of whom finished on 6½/10.

Official site: http://www.totalchess.spb.ru/kalend/2009/spb09men.html

82nd ch-St Petersburg St Petersburg RUS (RUS), 8-18 v 2009 cat. XI (2501)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
1. Matlakov, Maxim m RUS 2533 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 2608
2. Anisimov, Pavel m RUS 2503 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 2611
3. Yemelin, Vasily g RUS 2582 0 ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 2603
4. Popov, Valerij g RUS 2570 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ 6 2566
5. Goganov, Aleksey f RUS 2462 ½ ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 2541
6. Yevseev, Denis g RUS 2529 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 0 1 1 ½ 2534
7. Klimov, Sergey g RUS 2521 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 * 1 1 1 0 2463
8. Ivanov, Sergey1 g RUS 2551 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 * ½ ½ 1 4 2424
9. Gorovykh, Eduard m RUS 2404 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ * 0 1 2400
10. Smirnov, Artem m RUS 2454 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 * ½ 2395
11. Solovjov, Sergey I m RUS 2404 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ * 3 2361

18) Buenos Aires Champions League

The Argentine Chess Club in Buenos Aires has a team event (Champions League) that started on May 2nd 2009. Take part several International Masters, FIDE Masters and strong players not titled yet... compete. News: Marcelo Pagano.

Players include: IM Ginzburg M. 2455, IM Diaz N. 2443, IM Dos Santos R. 2441, IM Liascovich L. 2439, IM Bronstein LM 2401, IM Della Morte G 2382, IM Mela B 2373, FM Goldwaser C 2361, IM Filgueira H 2354, IM Schweber 2349, IM Garcia R 2342, FM Barrionuevo P 2320, IM Quiroga F 2329, FM Varela G 2323, FM Villanueva M 2311, Gibson T 2272, Airando M 2250 and FM Cuevas A 2244 Nine teams played every Saturday, Round Robin.

Official site: http://www.cargentinodeajedrez.com.ar/2009/torneos/ChampionsLeague/Champions_League.htm

19) 39th Bosna Open

The 39th Bosna tournament in Sarajevo took place May 8th-18th 2009. The 6 player double round robin was won by Pavel Eljanov with 7/10 who dominated throughout and finished a point and a half clear of the field. Nikola Sedlak edged out Bojan Vuckovic and Milan Drasko on tie-break after all finished on 7/9 in the open. Only a really small game file for the B-tournament is available. I've collected these games together.

Official site: http://www.skbosna.ba/?jezik=bos&x=47

39th Bosna Open Sarajevo (BIH), 12-18 v 2009
PlSBr.NameRtgFEDPtsBK.
12GMSedlak Nikola2572SRB742½
23GMVuckovic Bojan2572SRB739
37GMDrasko Milan2527MNE737
411IMSzabo Gergely-Andras-Gyula2510ROU43
51GMIotov Valentin2581BUL41½
610GMPavlovic Milos2511SRB39
75GMBlagojevic Dragisa2548MNE34½
813GMCabrilo Goran2504SRB34
918IMMiron Lucian-Costin2444ROU641
109GMAntic Dejan2513SRB640½
1119IMRunic Zoran2443BIH639
1216IMBogut Zeljko2467BIH639
1315IMSebenik Matej2482SLO637
148GMDizdarevic Emir2519BIH634
1532Dautovic Smail2265BIH633
1621IMDimitrov Pavel2396BUL632½
176GMSavic Miodrag R2539SRB38½
1817IMStojanovic Dalibor2464BIH38
194GMChatalbashev Boris2571BUL38
2030Batricevic Sasa2275MNE36½
2136Konjicanin Muris2245BIH36
2222IMDimitrov Radoslav2388BUL35½
2326Muratovic Efim2328BIH34
2427FMRasidovic Sead2324BIH34
2520IMJakovljevic Vlado2416BIH33
2629FMMujic Hamza2292BIH33
2740FMKamberovic Senad2216BIH32½
2823IMLekic Dusan2386MNE32
2928FMTrkulja Goran2312BIH31½
3031FMTerzic Ilijas2270BIH31
3133FMStavnjak Lazar2263BIH29½
96 players

20) III Wunsiedel International Chess Festival

The III Wunsiedel International Chess Festival took place 22nd-24th May 2009. Jacek Stopa edged out Aleksanda Berelovich and Michael Prusikin in the Master tournament after all finished on 5.5/7. No games seem to be available.

Official site: http://www.schach-info.de/wunsiedel/ergebnisse.html

III Wunsiedel International Chess Festival (GER), 22-24 v 2009
Final Leading Round 7 Standings:
PlPlayerTiELO NATPtsBuchh
1Stopa,Jacek IM 2471POL 5.528
2Berelovich,Aleksanda GM 2581GER5.527.5
3Prusikin,Michael GM 2538GER5.527
4Gasthofer,Alexander IM 2441GER529.5
5Schulz,Karsten FM 2288GER528
6Pachow,Joerg FM 2267GER526.5
7Welke,Klaus 2137GER526
8Salzberg,Gregor 2164GER525.5
9Schatz,Christian CM 2138GER525.5
10Singer,Christoph FM 2364GER525.5
11Roehl,Rainer 2160GER520
12Roesemann,Rainer 2241GER4.527.5
13Kersten,Uwe FM 2280GER4.526.5
14Loew,Gerald FM 2308GER4.525.5
15Neubauer,Bernd 2203GER4.524.5
16Krauss,Josef 2091GER4.524.5
17Westphal,Wolfgang 2236GER4.520
18Noettling,Dominik 1781GER426
76 players

21) The London Chess Classic in December

The dates for the London Chess Classic at the end of the year are now confirmed with the tournament taking place 7th-16th December 2009. The field is close to being finalised and it can be announced that Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Nigel Short, Ni Hua and Luke McShane and now Hikaru Nakamura will be competing. There will be 8 players in a 7 round all-play-all.

1st London Chess Classic (ENG), 8-16 xii 2009. Cat IXX (2704) Players list
NoName Ti NAT April Elo DoB
1Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2770 1990
2Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2759 1975
3Ni, Hua g CHN 2724 1983
4Adams, Michael g ENG 2703 1971
5Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2701 1987
6Short, Nigel D g ENG 2674 1965
7McShane, Luke J g ENG 2596 1984
8To be announced
Dates of the London Chess Classic. 7th-16th December 2009
Monday 7th December 2009 Press Conference and drawing of lots
Tuesday 8th December 2009 Round 1
Wednesday 9th December 2009 Round 2
Thursday 10th December 2009Round 3
Friday 11th December 2009 Rest day
Saturday 12th December 2009 Round 4
Sunday 13th December 2009 Round 5
Monday 14th December 2009 Round 6
Tuesday 15th December 2009 Round 7 + Closing ceremony, charity simultaneous

Cream of world chess to play in new London tournament. [Press release 9th March 2009]

London Chess Centre is proud to announce a world-class chess tournament to be held in London in December, 2009. The event will be an elite eight-player all-play-all in the most prestigious tournament in the capital since former world champion Anatoly Karpov won the Phillips and Drew Masters in 1984.

Since then, despite London hosting three world title contests, there has not been a tournament in which England's leading players could lock horns with the world's best on home soil. The December 09 tournament will be the first in a series of events designed to reinvigorate UK chess and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities.

The tournament will be FIDE Category 19 with an average FIDE rating of 2700 and a minimum prize fund of €100,000. The eight players will comprise of three English and five world-class Grandmasters from abroad. Included in the prize fund will be a €10,000 Brilliant Game award along with separate prizes for each victory with the White and Black pieces. Matches will be covered live online where fans will be able to vote for Game of the Day.

The tournament has applied for membership of the prestigious annual Grand Slam of Chess which culminates in Bilbao and boasts a €400,000 prize fund.

The games will be under Classical Chess time control; 40 moves in two hours, 20 in the subsequent hour then an additional 15 minutes plus an increment of 30 seconds a move until the end of the game. The tournament will further benefit from the use of Sofia Rules which disallow early draws. Players will receive three points for a win and one for a draw.

Malcolm Pein (IM) Director London Chess Centre

Notes for editors: All communications to Malcolm Pein IM at London Chess Centre: 020 7388 2404. E-Mail: info@chess.co.uk. Website: www.chess.co.uk

22) Catalan Championships

The Catalan Championships took place 16th-23rd May 2009. The knockout event was won by Josep Lopez Martinez who beat Jordi Magem Badals in the final.

Official site: http://www.escacs.cat/

23) Forthcoming Events and Links

18th Maccabiah Games

The 18th Maccabiah Games take place July 12th-23td 2009.

The Maccabiah Games have included chess tournaments for more than 30 years. Now, especially for the 18th Maccabiah Games, we have organized for the first time a super-tournament, with the participation of elite chessplayers from all over the world.

The Festival will include four main events:

Official site: http://mchess.co.il/

Regular Round Robins in Moscow

There is a new series of round-robin tournaments in Moscow. Starting in June in Moscow there will be a monthly series of the round-robin tournaments. The events are supported by FIDE, International Chess Academy 'Chess School 2000', 'World Chess Tour' company: GM, IM, rating events.

Venue - International Chess Education Center of the Russian State Social University (RGSU), Moscow, Begovaya Str., 14, building 1, 2 floor (close to Metro & Railway Station 'Begovaya').

Contact: GM Igor Glek. Phone mobile: (7)903-5593052, (49)179-7030605

Phone / Fax: (7)495-4336634 E-mail: wlct06@gmail.com, acpsecretary@gmail.com

Official site: http://www.chess-events.org

7th Mediterranean Chess Championship

The 7th Mediterranean Chess Championship takes place 11th-19th September 2009. Open to everyone.

Official site: http://www.medchess.com/ although I can't see details of the new tournament.

42nd Biel International Chess Festival

The 42nd Biel International Chess Festival takes place 18th-31st July 2009. There will be around 10 different Tournaments (Open, Rapid, Blitz, Youth and for the first time Chess 960). The main Category IXX tournament sees Morozevich, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Alekseev, Vachier-Lagrave and Caruana compete.

Official site: http://www.bielchessfestival.ch

Biel Grandmaster Tournament (SUI), 18-31 vii 2009 cat. IXX (2713)
NameNATElo points W Rank Age Past results
Alexander Morozevich RUS 2751 No 8 32 Winner in Biel in 2003, 2004, 2006
Vassily Ivanchuk UKR 2746 No 12 40 Winner in Biel in 1989
Boris Gelfand ISR 2733 No 15 41 Winner in Biel in 1993 (Interzonal Tournament), 2005
Evgeny Alekseev RUS 2716 No 25 23 Winner in Biel in 2008
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2684 No 47 18 1st time in Biel
Fabiano Caruana ITA 2649 No 78 16 1st time in Biel

Navara vs Ivanchuk Rapid

GM David Navara and GM Vassily Ivanchuk play a rapid match of 8 games in Prague 27th-31st May 2009.

Details: http://www.praguechess.cz/en/poradane_akce.php?nazev_akce=15&akce=uvod

I Vitoria-Gasteiz Open

I Open Internacional De Ajedrez Vitoria-Gasteiz Nazioarteko I. Xake Opena. 26th July - 3rd August 2009.

Official site: http://sites.google.com/site/openvitoria/

Amersham Congress

The Amersham Congress takes place 22nd - 25th May 2009. Details: http://www.e2e4.org.uk/amersham/

European Chess Festival Lubin

The European Chess Festival in Lubin, Poland takes place 28th May - 6th June 2009.

Official site: http://www.lzszach.lublin.pl/arc2009/info.html

24th Hasslocher Schachtage

The 24th Hasslocher Schachtage takes place 29th May - 1st June 2009.

Official site: http://schachclub-1926-hassloch.de/

Continental Absolute Chess Championship of Americas

The Continental Absolute Chess Championship of Americas takes place in Sao Paolo 25th July - 2nd August 2009.

Details: http://www.continental2009.com/cont09eng.htm

Zonal 2.3

Zonal 2.3 will now take place in San Jose 18th-25th June 2009 not in Guayaquil Ecuador as initially indicated.

Details: http://fcacrc.blogspot.com/

Zone 2.3 San Jose (CRC), 18-25 vi 2009
Leading players:
GM Lazaro Bruzon CUB2617
GM Eduardo Iturrizaga VEN2528
GM Gilberto Hernandez MEX2543
IM Bernal Gonzalez CRC2440
FM Lelys Martinez CUB2520
IM Jorge Baules PAN2346
IM Raphael Prasca VEN2415
IM Rafael Espinosa MEX2410
FM Oliver Soto VEN2321
Fernando Osorio VEN2300

Zonal 2.5

Zonal 2.5 takes place in Asuncion, Paraguay 10th-18th June 2009.

Official site: http://www.winner.com.py/feparaj/index.htm

Leko vs Anand in Miskolc

Peter Leko plays World Champion Viswanathan Anand in his traditional rapid match in Miskolc, Hungary 3rd-7th June 2009.

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

Bazna Tournament

The Turneul Regilor takes place in Bazna Romania 14th-25th June 2009. 10 rounds 6 player double round robin. Category XX (ave 2729).

Official site: http://www.turneulregilor.ro/en/index.php

Turneul Regilor Bazna (ROM), 14-25 vi 2009. Cat XX (2729) Players list
Name Ti NAT April Elo DoB
Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2756 1987
Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2746 1969
Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2745 1972
Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 1968
Kamsky, Gata g USA 2720 1974
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter g ROU 2675 1976

Poikovsky Tournament

The 10th Karpov tournament takes place in Poikovsky Russia 3rd-12th June 2009. There is a free day on 8th June.

Official site: http://www.admoil.ru/chess2009/index_chess_2009.htm

10th Karpov Poikovsky (RUS), 3-12 vi 2009. Cat XVIII (2695) Players list
Name Ti NAT April Elo DoB
Bologan, Viktor g MDA 2690 1971
Efimenko, Zahar g UKR 2682 1985
Gashimov, Vugar g AZE 2730 1986
Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2676 1985
Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2677 1979
Naiditsch, Arkadij g GER 2700 1985
Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2684 1975
Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2745 1972
Sutovsky, Emil g ISR 2660 1977
Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2702 1974

116th Scottish Chess Championships (International Open) and other Edinburgh Events

Jonathan Grant sends news of events in Scotland including the Scottish Championships which will be strong as outside entries will play in the tournament as an international open.

The strongest ever Scottish Championship is International Open 116th Scottish Chess Championships ( International Open) - 11th to 19th July 2009 Prestigious central venue, Edinburgh City Chambers, hosts the strongest ever Scottish Chess Championships 2009 from 11th to 19th July. One of the oldest continually running chess events in the world, this international open event will welcome strong players from countries as diverse as India and Slovakia. In the Year of Homecoming Scotland, Belgium-based GM Paul Motwani and London-based GM Jonathan Rowson will be among the favourites. Play takes place from 14:00 to 20:00 BST every day and games will be transmitted live to the web. With over £5000 in prizes, excellent IM and GM norm opportunities, and a sparkling new venue, the 2009 Scottish Chess Championship is set to become the strongest open in the UK this year.

116th Scottish Chess Championships (International Open) Edinburgh (SCO), 11-19 vii 2009.
Top ten entrants so far are:
1 GM Jonathan RowsonScotland2589
2 GM Jan MarkosSlovakia2571
3 GM S. Arun PrasadIndia2552
4 GM Jacob AagaardScotland2535
5 GM Mark HebdenEngland2510
6 GM Paul MotwaniScotland2501
7 GM Keti Arakhamia-GrantScotland2492
8 GM Colin McNabScotland2472
9 GM John ShawScotland2469
10GM Magesh Chandran PanchanathanIndia2462

The Scottish Championship is the highpoint of the year as Chess Scotland continues to strengthen its international level chess activity.

1st Chess Scotland International Open Chess Challenge - 23/24 May and 6/7 June 2009 IM Andrew Greet heads the field for an 8 round FIDE rated Swiss, supported by the Scottish Junior Chess Association Educational Trust (SJCAET), in the Edinburgh Chess Club.

http://www.chessscotland.com/international/CS_FIDE_ECC.htm

Simul by GM Keti Arakhamia-Grant - 13 June 2009

A 12 board rolling simultaneous display by GM Keti Arakhamia-Grant from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday 13 June in the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh (home of the Lewis chessmen in Scotland).

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

VIII Benidorm International Chess Festival

VIII Benidorm International Chess Festival 2009 takes place 27th November - 8th December 2009.

Website: http://www.ajedrezbali.com

7th Howard Staunton Memorial 2009 fields announced

The 7th Howard Staunton Memorial takes place 7th (opening ceremony) - 17th August 2009. This year there will be a UK vs The Netherlands double round Scheveningen match and an interesting Category IX all-play-all. The UK has a small Elo rating advantage in the Scheveningen match but the teams are well matched. The tournament is taking place in its usual venue - Simpson's In The Strand. The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of Friday 7th August. The final rounds and the closing ceremony will take place on Monday 17th August.

The organisers are hoping that the tournament will be a big media event with the Chinese and the Dutch Ambassadors hoping to attend the opening ceremony and surprise guest visits from other chess loving celebrities throughout. They thank their generous benefactor.

There will be live coverage of the games this year.

Official site: http://howardstaunton.com/index.shtm.

7th Staunton Memorial Scheveningen London (ENG), 8-17 viii 2009
UK NETHERLANDS
GM Michael Adams 2703 GM Ivan Sokolov 2669
GM Nigel Short 2674 GM Jan Smeets 2626
GM David Howell 2613 GM Loek Van Wely 2622
GM Jonathan Rowson 2589 GM Erwin L'ami 2598
GM Gawain Jones 2550 GM Jan Werle 2583
UK Elo Ave. 2626 NED Elo Ave. 2620

7th Staunton Memorial International Challenge London
(ENG), 8-17 viii 2009 - cat. IX (2453)
GM Jonathan Speelman ENG2534
GM Jan Timman NED2566
GM Peter Wells ENG2489
GM Victor Korchnoi SUI2552
GM Nigel Davies ENG2487
IM Willy Hendriks NED2447
Terence Chapman ENG2232
IM Eelke Wiersma NED2406
IM Malcolm Pein ENG2391
GM Alex Cherniaev RUS 2423

Torch Real Estate Cup

The Chinese team competition the Torch Real Estate Cup started in Chengdu China on 4th May 2009. I'm hoping for a full game file.

Live games: http://live.chinaqiyuan.com/chess/tfd.htm

Official site: http://chess.sport.org.cn/

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr21650.aspx

Zonal 2.5 Asuncion

Zonal 2.5 with 2 qualification places for the Word Cup takes place in Asuncion, Paraguay, June 10th-18th 2009. Zone 2.5 includes Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay.

Official web is http://www.winner.com.py/feparaj - Details

Acropolis Open

The Acropolis Open takes place 10th-18th August 2009 in Chalkida, Greece. Organizers: Greek Chess Federation (GCF), Ministry of Tourism in Attiki, Chalkida Chess Academy.

Regulations: Swiss System 9 rounds, invitational FIDE rated tournament, 70-80 players, minimum required FIDE rating 2200 (women 2000), GM & IM title norms possible, FIDE time-control (90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes until the end of the game plus increment of 30 seconds per move from move 1).

Contact info: Sotiris Logothetis (Tournament Coordinator) Tel: (+30) 6947324933, Email: middlewave74@gmail.com Greek Chess Federation (GCF) Tel.: (+30) 2109221465, Fax: (+30) 2109221620, Email: info@chessfed.gr

Official site: http://www.chessfed.gr/acropolis2009

III Ruy Lopez International Chess Festival

The main event of the Festival is the master Tournament (from 13th to 19th June 2009) with the participation of Adams, Cheparinov, Pía Cramling, Koneru, Granda, Larino, Caruana and Candelario. The games will be transmitted on Internet with commentaries by Leontxo García who will be present in the analysis room (open to all fans).

To complete the Children´s Tournament (13th and 14th June) and the III Open "Ruy López Opening" (20th and 21st June 2009) where all the games will start in the following order:- 1. e4 e5 2.Cf3 Cc6 3.Ab5 with more than 11,000 Euros as prizes.

Official site: http://ruylopez.juntaextremadura.net/modules/news/

Leiden Chess Tournament

The Leiden Chess Tournament takes place 9th-19th August 2009.

Official site: http://www.leidenchess.nl/

Brescia International

The Brescia International Tournament takes place June 6th-14th 2009.

Details: http://www.puntoesclamativo.org/

French League Top 16

The French Team Championship (TOP 16) took place in Mulhouse (group A) and Chalons-en-Champagne (group B) 30th April - 3rd May 2009. The Poule Haute and Basse take place 28th-31st May 2009. The top 4 teams in each group take forward the three results against each other and play off against the teams from the other group to produce a final winner.

Official site: http://www.echecs.asso.fr/Equipes.aspx

French Team Championship Group A (FRA), 20 iii-3 v 2009
Pl. Equipe Pts j. d. p. c.
1 Evry Grand Roque 21 7 33 36 3
2 Clichy 19 7 20 29 9
3 Mulhouse Philidor 16 7 5 18 13
4 Noyon 15 7 -1 17 18
5 Marseille Echecs 14 7 1 14 13
6 Drancy 11 7 -10 14 24
7 Lutece Echecs 9 7 -23 11 34
8 Bois-Colombes 7 7 -25 5 30
French Team Championship Group B (FRA), 20 iii-3 v 2009
Pl. Equipe Pts j. d. p. c.
1 Montpellier 19 7 15 23 8
2 Cannes 18 7 14 22 8
3 Vandoeuvre 16 7 10 23 13
4 Chalons en Champagne 16 7 12 27 15
5 Metz Fischer 15 7 1 18 17
6 Strasbourg 11 7 -8 11 19
7 Antibes 10 7 -13 9 22
8 Grasse 7 7 -31 6 37

Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament

The Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament 2009 takes place 3rd - 7th June 2009.

For 17 years in a row the tournament has been played in Malmo, Sweden and this time will be no different. The tournament will be played at the classical Hipp Theater in central Malmo, for the twelfth time. This year, the tournament has a new format, with only six players playing five rounds.

Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament Malmo (SWE), 3-7 vi 2009
1.GM Nigel ShortENG 2674
2.GM Ivan Sokolov BIH 2669
3.GM Tomi Nyback FIN 2655
4.GM Tiger Hillarp Persson SWE 2618
5.GM Emanuel Berg SWE 2610
6.IM Nils Grandelius SWE 2491

Tournament Schedule Round 1 3 June 14.00-21.00 CET Round 2 4 June 14.00-21.00 CET Round 3 5 June 14.00-21.00 CET Round 4 6 June 14.00-21.00 CET Round 5 7 June 12.00-19.00 CET

Official site: http://www.sigeman-chess.com

Historical Elo Ratings

http://www.shakki.net/history/elotop.htm has a list of historical top ten FIDE lists. The text is in Finnish but is understandable anyhow.

Chess Classic Mainz

The Chess Classic Mainz takes place 27th July - 2nd August 2009 in the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz.

The world championships in rapid chess and Chess960 will be staged in a tried and trusted double round robin format with four players, after which the players battle it out in mini-matches to determine the top spot. The players for the main events have already been contracted.

The GRENKELEASING Rapid World Championship sees the World Chess Champion and Chess Classic serial winner Vishy Anand will try to defend his title for the 11th time in a row. He faces Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Arkadij Naiditsch.

Other events include the gigantic ORDIX rapid chess Open, the FiNet Ches960 Open, the open tournaments for U14 talents, the 40 board simultaneous exhibition with Levon Aronian, the Livingston Chess960 Computer World Championship, etc., etc.

Full details: http://www.chesstigers.de

XXXV Sitges Open

The XXXV Open Internacional d'Escacs "Vila de Sitges" takes place 22nd-30th July 2009.

Official site: http://www.casinoprado.cat/open.html

Details: http://chess-results.com/tnr20620.aspx?lan=2

"King's Gambit" in Lipetsk

There will be an international chess festival called "King's Gambit" in Lipetsk, Russia, between June 22nd (arrival day) and July 3rd, 2009. The festival consists of two round-robin tournaments (one with GM norm and one with IM norm) and an open for FIDE rating. Opening ceremony: 2.30 p.m. on July 23, 1st round at 3 p.m. Festival director: Zimmerman, Yuri . Tel.: +7-4742-720064, or +7-919-255-9764. E-mail: zimmerman@lipetsk.ru."

Reno Far West Open

The Far West Open Chess Tournament took place April 10th-12th 2009 in Reno Nevada. Sergey Kudrin edged out Enrico Sevillano and Gergerly Antal who finished on 5/6. Games should follow.

Official site: http://www.renochess.org/fwo/index.html

32nd Taminco Gent Open

The 32nd Taminco Open International Chess Tournament Gent (Belgium) takes place 18th-22nd July 2009, 9 rounds Swiss, two hours KO chess, prize money 8400 euro for 400 participants. This traditional open tournament takes place near the center of the medieval town of Gent in the week of the famous annual Gent festivities. Email: open2009@kgsrl.be

Information and registration: http://www.kgsrl.be

Info Gent annual festivities: http://www.gentsefeesten.be/

Voronezh-2009

The 13th "Voronezh-2009" traditional chess festival takes place 10th-21st June 2009.

Details: http://www.relex.ru/~xuser/voronezh_open

13th Hogeschool Zeeland Tournament 2009

The 13th Hogeschool Zeeland Tournament takes place August 1st-8th 2009 in Vlissingen, Netherlands.

Official site: http://www.hztoernooi.nl and contact e-mail: hgroffen@zeelandnet.nl.

Canadian Open

The Canadian Open takes place in Edmonton, Alberta Canada July 11th-19th 2009. Alexei Shirov adn Michael Adams are among the early entrants.

Details: http://monroi.com/2009-canadian-open-chess-championship-home.html

San Sebastian GM

There is a tournament in San Sebastian July 6th-16th 2009.

GMA San Sebastian (ESP), 6-16 vii 2009
cat. XVIII (average elo: 2687)
Sergei Movsesian2747SVK
Peter Svidler2726RUS
Rustam Ponomariov2726UKR
Hikaru Nakamura2701USA
Rustam Kasimzhanov2695UZB
Francisco Vallejo2688SPA
Maxime Vachier-Lagraeve2684FRA
Anatoly Karpov2644RUS
Julio Granda2610PER
Pablo San Segundo2560SPA

Prizes in Euros: 1.- 9.000 2.- 6.000 3.- 4.000 4.- 3.500 5.- 3.000 6.- 2.500 7.- 2.000 8.- 1.500 9.- 1.000 10.- 500

There will be also a B tournament (cat. XI), C tournament (cat. VIII), and D tournament (female players). The games will be played in the same hall that held the historic tournament in 1911 won by Capablanca and the organisers are hoping for a special event to commemorate the centenary. News David Llada. Website to be announced.

Dortmund

The Dortmund Chess Meeting takes place 2nd-12th July 2009. Players: Kramnik, Leko, Carlsen, Jakovenko, Bacrot, and Naiditsch play.

Details: http://www.chess-international.de/?p=429

Brno Chess Festival

The Duras Chess Club organises the Brno Chess Festival in the Czech Republic. The GM Brno, IM Tespo Engineering and IM Dopravni stavby tournaments take place 26th June - 5th July 2009. Open tournaments start on the 27th June 2009.

Applications and details contact Rudolf Moulis: e-mail: moulis@kroknet.cz , phone +420 548 522 186, mobile phone: +420 607 900 656

Further info at: http://www.skduras.cz/cz/propozice.html and http://www.skduras.cz/cz/brnensky-sachovy-festival-2009.html

World Open

The World Open Chess Tournament takes place June 29th - July 5th 2009 in Philadelphia.

Details: http://www.chesstour.com/wo09.htm and http://monroi.com/2009-world-open-chess-tournament-home.html

British Championships

The 96th British Chess Championships take place 26th July - 8th August 2009 in Torquay.

Official site: http://www.britishchess09.com/

14th Pannonia - Nitrokemia Cup

The 14th Pannonia - Nitrokemia Cup takes place in Balatonalmadi, 29th July - 2nd August, 2009.

Group A: International Open Tournament for FIDE ratings. Group B: International Open Tournament for FIDE ratings, for players under 2000 ELO System used: 7 Rounds Swiss without age limit for both Groups Venue: The air-conditioned Conference Hall of Pannonia Cultural Centre & Library Address: Balatonalmadi, Városház Square 6. Organiser: Recreation Association of Vorosbereny Time Limit: Group A: 90-90 minutes + 30sec after each move Group B: 120-120 minutes for all moves

Details: http://fancsyimi.fw.hu. Entries and further information IM Fancsy Imre E-mail: almadikupa@freemail.hu

20th International Chess and Games Festival Czech Open

The 20th International Chess and Games Festival Czech Open 2009 takes place 16th July - 2 August 2009 in Pardubice (the Czech Republic). There are more than 100 tournaments in chess and other games, eg. European Youth Chess Teams Championship, ISCU Children Clubs Chess Championship and European Amateurs Championship in Chess.

More detailed information: http://www.czechopen.net/news/index.php. the festival website will be ready at the end of April.

6th Summer Catalan Chess Circuit

The 6th Summer Catalan Chess Circuit takes place May - September every year as part of the Catalan Chess Circuit, which is composed of 28 International Tournaments, and held in Spain, extended beyond Catalonia.

In 2009 there will be 14 Opens with traditional time control to be played over 9-10 days, as well as 14 Opens in Rapid Chess, played over 1-2 days (see Tournament Calendar).

During 120 days of tournaments, around 22.000 chess games will be played with selected ones broadcast.

Approximately 3,000 players from more than 30 different countries. The prize fund will reach 175.000 euros.

Apart from the traditional tournament prizes, the Catalan Chess Federation establishes a special classification composed of player´s results in each Circuit tournament, based on which players will be able to claim such special Circuit Prizes as General Final Standings, Prizes by Categories, Specific Prizes for best Catalan Players.

Prizegiving Ceremony will be held at Fiesta Catalana (Catalan Chess Party), on September, 27th, 2009

For more information please contact the Catalonia Chess Federation on federacio@escacs.cat or visit the official website: http://escacs.cat/circuit2009/torneigs.html

6th Summer Catalan Chess Circuit (ESP), 5 v - 20 ix 2009
5-13 May VILA DE SALOU SALOU 9 Rd Swiss B CFrancesc Linan 616094289
17 May VILA DE CANOVELLES CANOVELLES 9 Rd Swiss b bDaniel Flores 938493564
24 May VILA DE L'AMPOLLA L'AMPOLLA 9 Rd Swiss a bEnric Gallimo 666187061
31 May VILA DE STA COLOMA DE QUERALT SANTA COLOMA DE QUERALT 8 Rd Swiss a a supSalvador Barrot 654095338
20 June CIUTAT DE REUS REUS 9 Rd Swiss a a supJoan Pinol 649341056
21 June MOLLET DEL VALLES MOLLET DEL VALLES 9 Rd Swiss b aFrancesc Fernandez 647625832
24 June-2 July VILA DE SORT SORT 9 Rd Swiss B CJoan A. Conesa 609825066
25 June-3 July VILA DE MONTCADA MONTCADA 9 Rd Swiss A AReyes Cantero 938152902
4-12 July BARBERÀ DEL VALLES BARBERA DEL VALLES 9 Rd Swiss A A supVíctor Pont 629386528
4-12 July TORREDEMBARRA TORREDEMBARRA 9 Rd Swiss C BJordi Salvat 649061984
13-22 July CIUTAT DE BALAGUER BALAGUER 10 Rd Swiss A sup AAntoni Montoliu 679082837
18-26 July ANDORRA LES ESCALDES 9 Rd Swiss A sup A supOscar la Riva 00376-347085
22-30 July VILA DE SITGES SITGES 9 Rd Swiss A AFrancesc González 600923277
25 July CERVELLO CERVELLO 8 Rd Swiss b bJuan Mª Santiago 936840402
26 July OLOT OLOT 8 Rd Swiss b bJosep Ma Mir 606119678
1-8 August FIGUERES "MIQUEL MAS" FIGUERES 9 Rd Swiss C AJordi Serra 699848479
1-9 August CIUTAT DE BADALONA BADALONA 9 Rd Swiss A A supManel Triquell 609683157
2-10 August LA POBLA DE LILLET LA POBLA DE LILLET 9 Rd Swiss C CJosep Salvador 630625152
15-16 August VILA DE POBLENOU BARCELONA 10 Rd Swiss a sup aJoan Lorda 659529581
21-30 August SANTS BARCELONA 10 Rd Swiss A sup A supCotxeres 932918701
22-23 August AJEDREZND BARCELONA 9 Rd Swiss a sup aJordi Morcillo 620341266
1-10 September FESTIVAL DE SABADELL SABADELL 9 Rd Swiss B BIvan Aguilar 666346958
6 September VILA DE SANTPEDOR SANTPEDOR 9 Rd Swiss b bJosep Mascaro 616477533
11 September DIADA DE L'11 DE SETEMBRE SABADELL 9 Rd Swiss a a supIvan Aguilar 666346958
12 September RIBERA D'EBRE MORA D'EBRE 8 Rd Swiss a aJosep Terrones 696204203
13 September CIUTAT DE TORTOSA TORTOSA 8 Rd Swiss b bAbraham Pla 680532570
19-20 September VALLFOGONA DE BALAGUER VALLFOGONA DE BALAGUER Suís 11 rondes a sup aJaume Parramon 649960831
Potential
13-21 July SANT MARTI BARCELONA 9 Rd Swiss Ricard Llerins 933082425

XXVII Andorra International Chess Open

The XXVII Andorra International Chess Open takes place 18th-26th July 2009. Contact: open@escacsandorra.com

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

Masterskill Commonwealth Chess Championships

The Masterskill Commonwealth Chess Championships takes place 14th-21st July 2009 in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Details: http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/3827-commonwealth-chess-championship-2009-in-malaysia

Maia Chiburdanidze Cup

The "Maia Chiburdanidze Cup" (International Open Women's Chess Tournament) takes place in the Chess Palace, Tbilisi (Georgia) 4th-13th June 2009. The Tournament is open to all women players. Each player must herself (or her federation) cover all her expenses: entry fee, transportation, accommodation and board. 9 round Swiss. Rate of play: 90 min for all moves, increment 30 seconds per move. Details available from the addresses below.

Contact IA, FM Varlam Vepkhvishvili E-mail: chessgeorgia@hotmail.com or chessvarlam@hotmail.com.

Phone:
(995)32-997736 - Federation
(995)32-960199 - Home
(995)99-771974 - Mobile

Official site: http://www.gcf.org.ge

1st International Open Tbilisi

The 1st International Open Tbilisi Chess Tournament takes place 14th-24th June 2009.

Official site: http://www.chess.tbilisi.ge (not yet up and running)

9 round Swiss. Rate of play: 90 min for all moves, increment 30 seconds per move. Details available from the addresses below.

e-mail: chessvarlam@hotmail.com - Varlam Vepkhvishvili
e-mail: ggrs92@hotmail.com - Giorgi Khomeriki

Varna Chess Festival

The 1st International Chess Festival Varna, takes place at the Grand Hotel Varna 11th-20th June 2009. Contact: seahorse@abv.bg for more details.

Website: http://euroschoolchess.org/ (although I couldn't find the event myself)

European Youth Championships

The European Youth Championships (U10 - U18) takes place in Fermo/Italy 30th August - 10th September 2009.

Details: http://www.euroyouth2009.com

European Senior Championships

The European Individual Senior Championship takes place in Rogaska Slatina/Slovenia 22nd - 31st July 2009. For the first time just before the event a European Senior Rapid Championship will be organised. The dates are 19th - 21st July.

Further details are published under http://www.sahohlacnik.com/eu-sen/

European Union Website

The European Chess Union Website ECU website has changed address to http://www.europechess.org

Alushta Diary 2009

Alushta Diary 2009:

GM Norm events: 23.05 - 1.06, 2.06 - 12.06, 15.06 - 25.06, 2.09 - 12.09, 14.09 - 24.09, 26.09 - 6.10, IM Norm: 23.05 - 1.06, 2.06 - 12.06, 15.06 - 25.06, 2.09 - 12.09, 14.09 - 24.09, 26.09 - 6.10, Rating tournament: 4.06 - 12.06, 22.06 - 27.06, 5.09 - 13.09, Open tournament (under 16 years) 3.06 - 11.06, 13.06 - 21.06, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament First prize - 1000$ First prize (woman) - 500$ 28.06 - 6.07, 10.07 - 18.07, 20.07 - 28.07, 22.08 - 30.08, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Blitz tournament 7.07, 19.07, 29.07, Alushta Swiss 9 rounds Open tournament (rapid chess) 8.07 - 9.07, 30.07 - 31.07, Alushta Session of school of Gennadi Kuzmin 21.06 - 27.06, 15.07 - 24.07. Individual and group studying Further information: http://www.kaissa.com.ua phone +38 (06560)5-05-32, +380505828911 (for Russian speaking), + 380506692604 (for English speaking) e-mail: info@kaissa.com.ua

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

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

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.

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, Tamas, 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.

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

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