THE WEEK IN CHESS 806 19th April 2010 by Mark Crowther

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1) Introduction

My thanks to Steve Giddins, Plamen Petkov, Luiz Roberto Da Costa Jr, Miklos Orso, Istvan Brindza, Gujuan Tzu, Dorian Rogozenco, Dmitry V. Borisenkov, Lazlo Nagy, Holger Lieske, George Mirijanian and everyone else who helped with the issue.

The World Chess Championships between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov starts in Sofia, Bulgaria this week. There are obviously great expectations for the match between two extremely closely matched opponents.

The forced choice of Sofia as the venue because there were no other serious bidders does place Anand somewhat on the back foot at the start. But you never know how players react to such situations. It may make Anand more determined and Topalov more nervous. Whether it helps or hinders will be for the post-match analysis.

Both players have very little to regret in their careers. Anand in particular has achieved pretty much all there is to achieve to write his name in history. Only perhaps that of retain the World Championship remains for him. For Topalov, he likewise has a formidable list of successes. A victory in a match for the world championship, rather than a match tournament, and an undisputed place in the lineage of absolute world champions is probably uppermost in his mind.

The week hasn't got off to a very good start for Anand with his travel being disrupted by the cancellation of planes over Europe due to volcanic dust. Anand has thus requested a three day postponement to the start of the match, something I'm sure the organisers were dismayed to see. It is a big deal for Bulgarian Chess with Government involvement. Likewise I'm sure Anand won't have been pleased to see the hard line in return.

Anand is now on his way to Sofia by car and should be in Sofia tomorrow. It is still possible that game one might be pushed back by a day (and presumably the cancellation of the first rest day). I don't think Anand had any choice than to get on with travel to Sofia, as being in his best interests. Not an ideal start but these things as I said before can go both ways, either hardening resolve or weakening it.

I'm sure this will all be forgotten when the match starts and I'm sure it won't be the last controversy. It all starts Friday (or Saturday if pushed back) and I, for one, am really looking forward to it.

Hope you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) World Championship Match Anand - Topalov

The World Chess Championship takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria 23 April (1st round) to 12 May 2010 (possible tiebreaks). The match is between World Champion Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov. An agreement was signed by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the President of the Bulgarian Chess Federation Stefan Sergiev on the 16th December 2009. T his was in the presence of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Mr Boiko Borisov who is guaranteeing the match.

There has been a controversy already with Viswanathan Anand trying to get a postponement to the start due to difficulties travelling to Sofia due to the volcano that has affected plane traffic over all of Europe. The organisers say that the schedule is fixed and that aside from the possibility of putting back game one, the opening ceremony will have to go ahead as planned on Wednesday. Anand is reported to be on his way by road. Whilst the war of words hasn't been especially edifying I don't really expect this to have too much impact on the match, except to spice things up a little more. When we look back we probably won't remember too much about this.

Match Details

Prize Fund

Prize Fund 2.000.000. EUR: Winner 1.200.000. EUR; Loser : 800.000.EUR

Schedule

* The Closing Ceremony takes place the day after the final game. 13th May is the latest it can take place. ie if Tie-Breaks are required.

Some useful regulations

The full match regulations are here: http://www.anand-topalov.com/en/regulations.html

Below are some extracts of the more likely situations to come up.

Drawing of colors

The draw for colors will be conducted during the opening ceremony. The colors shall be reversed after game 6. (The player getting the white color in game 1 shall play game 7 with the black color).

Time control

The time control for each game shall be: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61 has been made.

Match Regulations

The match is played over 12 games and the winner of the match shall be the first player to score 6.5 points or more. A tie shall be broken with tie-breaks. If the winner scores 6.5 points in less than 12 games then the organizer can re-schedule the Closing Ceremony for an earlier date.

Tie-breaks

If the scores are level after the regular twelve (12) games, after a new drawing of colors, four (4) tie-break games shall be played. The games shall be played using the electronic clock starting with 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds after each move.

If the scores are level after the 4 rapid games then, after a new drawing of colors, a match of 2 games shall be played with a time control of 5 minutes plus 3 seconds increment after each move. In case of a level score, another 2-game match will be played to determine a winner. If still there is no winner after 5 such matches (total 10 games), one sudden-death game will be played.

If the score is still level after five matches as described in Article 3.7.2, the players shall play a one sudden death game. The player who wins the drawing of lots may choose the color. The player with the white pieces shall receive 5 minutes, the player with the black pieces shall receive 4 minutes whereupon, after the 60th move, both players shall receive an increment of 3 seconds from move 61. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces is declared the winner.

There shall be a pause of 10 minutes between all tie-break game , unless the Chief Arbiter decides otherwise.

During and Surrounding Play

Only the players and stewards shall be allowed in the actual playing area except with the permission of the Chief Arbiter or his Deputy. Both players will have access to the same toilet facilities during the games. There will be no separate rest rooms for the players during the games. Both players shall use the same rest lounge area which shall be on/at the stage and visible by the Arbiter and the spectators.

Before the start of play, the players shall arrive at least ten (10) minutes for security check.

A player may communicate with an arbiter or a steward. In the case of a draw offer, he may also communicate with his opponent as permitted by article 9.1.b of the regulations.

Immediately after the completion of a game both players have to take part in post game press conferences, of not more than 20 minutes duration,

The players must be present at all official functions during the match including official receptions, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony.

Appeals Committee & FIDE Supervisor

The FIDE President shall nominate, from within the Presidential Board, three members of the Appeals Committee one of whom shall be Chairman. All protests must be submitted in writing to the Appeals Committee not more than two (2) hours after the finish of the relevant playing session, or the particular infringement complained against.

The Appeals Committee may decide on the following matters:

a) an appeal against a decision by an arbiter,

b) a protest against a player's behavior,

c) a complaint alleging false interpretation of the regulations,

d) a request for the interpretation of specific regulations,

e) a protest or complaint against any participant, or

f) all other matters which the Appeals Committee considers important.

If possible, the Appeals Committee shall reach a decision not more than two (2) hours after the submission of a protest. The appeals process shall include written representations and a written decision. The Appeals Committee shall endeavor to find binding solutions that are within the spirit of the FIDE motto, Gens Una Sumus. Each protest must be accompanied by a deposit fee of €3000 (three thousand Euros) or the equivalent in local currency. This can also be done if the player makes a written request that FIDE withholds the fee from his prize money. If the protest is accepted, the fee shall be returned. If the protest is rejected, the fee may be forfeited to FIDE. The written decision of the Appeals Committee arising from any dispute in respect of these regulations shall be final.

3) 12th Dubai Open

The 12th Dubai Open took place 4th-14th April 2010. They played for the Sheikh Rashed Bin Hamdan Al Mactoum Cup. 8 players finished on 7/9 with Eduardo Iturrizaga taking first place on tie-break. Gabriel Sargissian, Vladimir Baklan and Parimajan Negi were the top seeds.

Open (154 players 9 Rds Swiss Indiv TC: 90m+30spm(1))

Official site: http://www.dubaichess.ae/

4) Bulgarian Championship

The 74th Bulgarian Championships took place in Kyustendil 7th-17th April 2010. Apart from Topalov and his secon Cheparinov who are preparing for the World Championship match against Anand most of the rest of the best players from Bulgaria competed. Boris Chatalbashev won with 10.5/13,

Official Site - Results

5) First Saturday April 2010

The First Saturday tournaments for April took place 3rd-14th April 2010. Laszlo Gonda won the GM Group with 7/10. The May events take place 1st-12th May, see forthcoming events section. There are vacancies.

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

6) Najdorf Centenary Open

The Najdorf Centenary Open takes place in Buenos Aires 7th-28th April 2010. Facundo Quiroga, Ernesto Real De Azua, Santiago Gimenez, Luis Marcos Bronstein and Raimundo Garcia have started with 3/4.

Official site: http://www.cargentinodeajedrez.com.ar/2010/torneos/Abierto_Najdorf/abierto_najdorf.htm

7) La Laguna Open

The La Laguna took place 5th-11th April 2010. Kamil Miton edged out Lazaro Bruzon, Bojan Kurajica, Yuri Bojan Gonzalez, Evgeny Gleizerov and Bartlomiej Herberla on tie-break after all finished on 7/9. Games from the final 4 rounds now available.

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

Results: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr32247.aspx

8) XXVIII Metz Open

The XXVIII Metz International Chess Open organised by the Metz Alekhine chess club took place Saturday, April 10th - Friday, April 16th 2010. Former World Championship Candidate Andrei Sokolov took clear first place with 7/9. No games appear to be available.

Official site: http://www.metzalekhine57.fr

9) 10th Thailand Open

The 10th Thailand Open takes place in Bangkok 14th-20th April 2010. Nigel Short plays for the second year in a row. There don't appear to be any games available.

Official site and details: http://bangkokchess.com/

10) Dutch League

The Dutch League took place 26th September 2009 - 18th April 2010. The final Round 9 took place on the 18th March 2010. HSG took first place. Final round games not yet available.

Official site: http://www.schaakbond.nl/wedstrijdschaak/knsb-competitie.

Further info: http://www.schakers.info/

11) Cez Trophy Polgar - Navara Match

The Cez Trophy takes place 22nd-24th April 2010. 8 rapid games at 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. The match is between Judit Polgar and David Navara. There are additional simuls.

Official site: http://www.praguechess.cz/

12) 3rd Women's Chess Grand Prix Nalchik

The 3rd Women's Chess Grand Prix takes place in Nalchik, Russia, 25th April (arrival) - 8 May (departure) 2010.

I'm presuming http://grandprix.fide.com/ will have a link to the official site.

13) Championship of Uruguay

The Championship of Uruguay took place in Montevideo 10th-18th April 2010. Manuel Larrea took clear first place with 8.5/11.

Official site: http://www.fuajedrez.com/finales.html

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

14) Kings Tournament Bazna

The 4th Kings tournament takes place in Bazna, Romania, Monday, June 14, 2010 - Friday, June 25, 2010. A very strong field including World Number One Magnus Carlsen competes.

Official opening 13 June 2010 with the drawing of lots, at 20 hours. Double round-robin system. The rounds are scheduled daily from 15.30 hours, except the last round which will be from 13.30 hours.

Time control: 120 minutes for the first forty moves, 60 minutes for the next twenty moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move. No draw agreement by the players are allowed before move 30.

The final standing of the players will be determined according to points. In case of sharing of places - the following criteria will be decisive for the tie-break: · A greater number of wins. · The result of the direct mini-matches between contenders. · Berger. · A tie-break match will be played in case of a tie for the first place in the tournament between the first two players in the final standing (according to points, or the additional criteria). The match will consist of two games with a time-control of 15 minutes per player + 3 seconds added for every move played. In case of a tie, another match of two blitz-games will be played with a time-control of 5 minutes per player + 3 seconds for every move played. In case of another tied result – there will be played a last "sudden-death" decisive game with a time-control 5 minutes for the whole game for the White-player and 4 minutes for the whole game for Black-player. The White-player will only need a victory in this game to win the tournament, whole the Black-player will win the tournament by just not losing that final decisive game.

Round 1 Monday, 14 June Rest day - Friday, 18 June and Wednesday, 23 June Final Round 10 Friday, 25 June

15) XXIII Ciudad De Leon

The XXIII Ciudad De Leon will take place 3rd-7th June 2010 in spite of the financial crisis.

Leon is one of the Spanish cities where chess is used more in education of children and the prevention of Alzheimer.

The 23rd edition sees Levon Aronian (Armenia), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba) and Paco Vallejo (Spain) compete.

The tournament director Marcelino Sion highlighted what's new this year, during the presentation in Madrid: "Although a big majority of the top chess stars have played in Leon, Aronian, Gelfand and Leinier Dominguez are coming for the first time. Joining them will be Paco Vallejo, who has already earned a place in the elite". Sion also recalled that the live Internet broadcast of the 2009 final was followed by 60,000 people.

The three public sponsors emphasized different aspects of chess. Natalia Rodriguez, Councillor for Sports, said that Leon has already produced several Spanish champions among children, the Municipal School of Chess has more than 700 students, and first activities on chess and brain aging are developing successfully. Jose Maria Lopez, Deputy of Sports, stressed the great social utility of chess, especially for children, as demonstrated in the experience of various schools in the province. The County Council will host a lecture from Leontxo Garcia (chess against Alzheimer) on June 5 at the Institute of Culture. GM Miguel Illescas will give another lecture for young talents on June 2nd.

Alejandro Vaquera, Director of Sports at the University, said that chess is a form of culture, as well as an elite sport, which is why the University will sponsor, once again, a cycle of films about chess (30 May to 5 June) and an exhibition of simultaneous games of Aronian, 7 June. The two representatives of private companies (Manuel Alberto Gajate of Cajaduero, and Javier Martinez, Manager of Alsa) stressed the good image that chess is giving to the sponsors, because it is closely linked with intelligence.

Details: http://www.advancedchessleon.com

16) Serbian Championships

The Serbian Championships take place in Kragujevac 18th April - 1st May 2010.

The women's event takes place in Pancevo 20th-30th April 2010.

Official site: http://www.serbiachess.net/

17) Bar Open

The Bar Open takes place in Montenegro 17th-24th April 2010.

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

Results: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr32669.aspx

18) Chinese Chess League Division A

The Chinese Chess League Division A takes place April 16th - December 30th 2010 in China. 10 teams compete in the Double Round-Robin event.

Time control: 1 hour 30 minutes for the whole game with an incremental time of 30 seconds per move.

Prize: 500,000 yuan or Euro 50,000.

The first 3 rounds took place in Ningbo city.

Official website : http://ccl.sports.cn/ - http://games.sports.cn/chessorg.ccl2010/index.html

The live games broadcast : http://live.chinaqiyuan.com/chess.html

Archive of games should be here eventually: http://ccl.sports.cn/2010/news/2010-04-01/1995059.html

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr32818.aspx

Rounds 4-6 take place June 6th - June 9th 2010 in Shenzhen

Rounds 7-9 in July 23th - July 26th 2010 in Shanghai

Rounds 10-12 9th-11th Sept 2010 in Guangzhou

Rounds 13-15 in Oct. 10th-13th 2010

Round 16-18 in Dec. 28th-30th 2010 in Beijing.

Leading players: Wang Yue g CHN 2749; Wang Hao g CHN 2713; Alexander Motylev g RUS 2705; Bu Xiangzhi g CHN 2682; Zhou Jianchao g CHN 2650; Li Chao b g CHN 2613; Zhang Pengxiang g CHN 2605; Zhou Weiqi g CHN 2585; Peng Xiaominn g CHN 2581; Zhao Jun g CHN 2575; Yu Yangyi g CHN 2574; Hou Yifan g CHN 2570; Ding Liren g CHN 2564; Wen Yang g CHN 2520; Li Shilong g CHN 2514; Xu Jun g CHN 2513; Liang Chong g CHN 2502; Ju Wenjun wg CHN 2500; Xiu Deshun CHN 2493; Zhao Xue g CHN 2490; Ruan Lufei wg CHN 2479; Xu Yuhua g CHN 2478; Zhu Chen g QAT 2476; Tan Zhongyi wg CHN 2464; Wu Shaobin g SIN 2453; Lin Chen CHN 2448; Liu Qingnan m CHN 2445; Shen Yang wg CHN 2444; Huang Qian wg CHN 2439; Zhang Xiaowen wg CHN 2437; Le Thanh Tu wg VIE 2318

Gujuan Tzu Blog is http://blog.sina.com.cn/chessnews

19) 9th Malakoff Open

The 9th Malakoff Open takes place 17th-24th April 2010.

Official site: http://www.malakoffetmat.net/

20) Municipalidad De Lanus

The Municipalidad De Lanus tournament takes place 12th-19th April 2010. I couldn't find any games.

Results: http://chess-results.com/tnr32597.aspx

21) Hartford Open

George Mirijanian reports: The Hartford Open took place April 16-18, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA. GMs Sergey Kudrin of Stamford, Connecticut and Alexander Ivanov of Newton, Massachusetts tied for 1st-2nd place. Both tallied 4.5-0.5, including a draw with one another in the final round. Tying for 3rd-4th place with 4-1 scores were IM Robert Hungaski of Connecticut, who lost to Ivanov in the third round, and IM Marc Esserman of Somerville, Massachusetts, who lost to Ivanov in the fourth round. U.S. Chess Federation-rated expert Matan Prilleltensky of Miami, Florida captured the top Under 2305 prize with a score of 3.5-1.5. The tournament drew 140 players in seven sections and was directed by William Goichberg for the sponsoring Continental Chess Association. He was assisted by Massachusetts Chess Association official Robert Messenger of Nashua, New Hampshire.

22) European Chess Solving Championship

The European Chess Solving Championship takes place at the De Vere Sunningdale Park Hotel, at Sunningdale near Windsor on the outskirts of London. The event took place from Friday April 9th to Monday April 12th, with the main European Championship competitions on the Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Full details on the ECSC website: http://www.bstephen.me.uk/ecsc2010/home

PRESS RELEASE by Steve Giddins

Double British triumph at European Solving Championship

The 2010 European Solving Championship was hosted by the British Chess Problem Society. It was the first major international solving competition held in Great Britain for over twenty years. Some 55 solvers, representing 13 different countries, attended the event, which was held at De Vere Venues’ conference center, Sunningdale Park on 9-10 April 2010.

The event saw a double British triumph. Great Britain A, comprising John Nunn, Jonathan Mestel, Colin McNab and David Friedgood, took the gold medals in the team event, whilst John Nunn won the individual title. Second place in the team competition went to Poland, headed by the current and five-time world champion, Piotr Murdzia, who also finished second to Nunn in the individual championship. The team from Serbia took third place, with Belgian’s grandmaster solver, Eddy van Beers, taking the individual bronze medal.

This success was the latest in a spectacular series of triumphs by the British solving team. Over the past six years, the team has won three successive world team championships, whilst John Nunn has twice won the world individual gold medal. These successes owe much to the generous support British solving has received from Winton Capital Management, who also sponsored this latest European Championship. Winton Capital uses advanced scientific research and statistical analysis techniques, to develop proprietary trading systems for international asset markets. The company believes that the kind of skills shown in chess problem-solving are a natural fit with its business, and continues to support British solving most generously.

Here are two of the problems used in the event. In each case, White is to play, and mate in two moves, against any defence.

Pictorial World 1892

E H Baird

White is to play, and mate in two moves, against any defence

(Forsythe check: w Kf7,Qa1,Nd3,f5,Ba6,b8,Rd2,h5,Pb2,c3,e6,h3/bKd5,Pb5,c6,e7,g5,h4)

1st Pl, Russia Team Championship 1992

I Suvorov

White is to play, and mate in two moves, against any defence

(Forsythe check: wKc8,Qg4,Nd7,g3,Bf8,Rc1,c4,Pa2,a4,a6,d2,e5,h5/bKd5,Nc2,Bg7,g8,Pa7,b6,b7,d3,h6)

Solutions:

Baird: 1.Qb1! puts Black in Zugzwang: his five legal moves 1...Kc4/Ke4/b4/c5/g4 are met respectively by 2.Qa2/Ne1/Qh1/Ne5/Nd6 mate.

Suvorov: 1.Nc5! (threat 1.Qe4 mate), and now the defences 1...Kc6/Kxe5/bxc5/Bh7/Be6+ are answered respectively by 2.Qd7/Qf5/Rxc5/Qe6/Qe6 mate.

23) Forthcoming Events and Links

11th Poikovsky Karpov Tournament

The 11th Poikovsky Karpov Tournament takes place 31st May to 14th June, 2010. The field has been expanded to 12 players.

No website yet but it may be something like http://www.admoil.ru/chess2010/index_chess_2010.htm

Women's Grand Prix 2009-10

The Women's Grand Prix series will see four more events in 2010.

3rd Women's Chess Grand Prix Nalchuk

The 3rd Women's Chess Grand Prix takes place in Nalchuk, Russia, 25th April (arrival) - 8 May (departure) 2010.

The 4th Grand Prix will take place in Jermuk, Armenia, on 23rd June - 6th July 2010

The 5th Grand Prix will take place in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, on 29 July - 12 August 2010

The 6th Grand Prix will take place in Santiago, Chile, on 27th October - 9th November 2010

The first Grand Prix was in Istanbul 5th-20th March 2009 and was won by Humpy Koneru. The 2nd Grand Prix was in Nanjing, China, 27th Sept - 9th October 2009 and was won by Xu Yuhua.

14th Voronezh International Chess Festival

The 14th Voronezh International Chess Festival takes place June 10th-21st 2010.

Official site: http://homes.relex.ru/~xuser/voronezh_open/

Royal Residence Cup IM

Royal Residence Cup IM takes place June 8th-16th 2010 in Zhovkva (25 km north of Lviv and 35 kilometers east of the Polish border).

Organisers: (Zhovkva Region Chess & Checkers Federation). Yuri Galkin and Yuri Vovk (International Grandmaster; responsible for participants invitation and contacts with invited players) and Anton Romashov.

Round robin system . The playing time will be 90 minutes with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. 12 players to participate in the tournament. All players are offered a comfortable rooms on villa(2-3 persons per room).Accommodation + 2 meals per day(breakfast + evening meal) costs 120 UAH(12,5 Euros) per person per day. Villa is not far from playing hall.

To participate the tournament please contact the responsible for contacts tournament director GM Yuri Vovk (English,Ukrainian,Russian languages ) via:

e-mail:wolfisthegreatestpredator@gmail.com
mobile phone:+380 673912027
skype:Imperator15chess
ICC: Imperator15
Playchess: JohnConnor
Facebook: Yuri Vovk

First Saturday May

The First Saturday May tournaments take place 1st-12th of May, Budapest, First Saturday GM-IM-ELO closed tournaments, organizer: Nagy Laszlo, e-mail: firstsat@hu.inter.net

There are some vacancies.

4NCL

The 4NCL takes place Sat 24th Oct 2009 - 3rd May 2010. Rounds 7 and 8 took place 27th-28th March 2010. The final rounds take place 1st-3rd May 2010.

After 7 rounds, the top 4 teams in each preliminary pool qualified for the final championship pool. At the end of the season 4 teams will be relegated.

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

III Magistral Ciudad de Asuncion

The III Magistral Ciudad de Asuncion, "Copa Roggio chess tournament takes place in Asuncion, Paraguay, May 19th-29th 2010.

Official site: http://www.ajedrezciudaddeasuncion.com.py/

The organizer is Eng. Julio Ingolotti, Secretary-General of the Feparaj. Email: julioingolotti@gmail.com

European Chess Festival Lublin

The European Chess Festival takes place in Lublin 8th-18th May 2010.

Official site: http://www.lzszach.lublin.pl/arc2010/index.html

Women's Bundesliga

The Women's Bundesliga took place 7th November 2009 - 28th March 2010. USV Volksbank Ha took the title after beating OSG Baden Baden in Round 8. Games from the final two rounds not yet available.

Results: http://www.schachbund.de/SchachBL/bedh.php?liga=fb1

Games: http://www.schachbund.de/chronik/meister/dfmm/2010/index.html

Swiss Team Championships 2010

The Nationalliga A of Switzerland takes place 14th February - 7th November 2010. Round 2 games not yet available.

Dates: Round 1 (2010.02.14), Round 2 (2010.03.21), Round 3 (2010.04.25), Round 4 (2010.06.13), Round 5 (2010.06.27), Round 6 (2010.08.28), Round 7 (2010.08.29), Round 8 (2010.11.06) and Round 9 (2010.11.07).

Details

French League Top 16

The French League Top 16 saw the first weekend of games 26th-28th March 2010. There were four venues and two groups. Time control 90mins for 40 moves, 30mins for the rest, 30 seconds per move from move one. The second set of games 29th April - 2nd May 2010 and the final set 3rd-6th June 2010.

There are two initial groups, each with two venues. Group A took place in Vandoeuvre (Deauville, Drancy, Montpellier and Vandoeuvre) and in Evry (Evry, Noyon, Guingamp and Marseille Echecs). Group B took place in Chalons-en-Champagne (Cannes, Lyon, Strasbourg and Chalonnais) and Clichy (Metz, Mulhouse and Clichy-Échecs-92 (Bischwiller seem to be defaulting)).

French Chess Federation: http://www.echecs.asso.fr

Venue Links: http://www.lechiquier-chalonnais.com - http://www.clichy-echecs.org/ - http://www.evry-grandroque.com/ - http://www.vandoeuvre-echecs.com/

Compiled game files: http://www.echecs.asso.fr/Tournois/2010/Equipes/2.pgn and http://www.echecs.asso.fr/Tournois/2010/Equipes/3.pgn

Mihajlo Savic Website

The international arbiter, FIDE master and international organizer, Mihajlo Savic, the author of the book Commentary on the Laws of chess, has launched a new column You ask, we answer at website: http://www.chessdiagonals.com

Chess Classic Mainz 2010

The 17th Chess Classic Mainz takes place 6th-8th August 2010. The festival has suffered from the general economic slowdown with the open taking the lead along with simuls.

The rapid chess open has been upgraded to the Grenke Rapid World Championship. The tenth edition of the Chess Classic in Mainz is sponsored by GRENKE Group, FiNet AG, Livingston GmbH, Hilton Mainz, Congress Centre Mainz, Stadtwerke Mainz AG and our Prime-Partners ChessBase, DGT and Schach Niggemann.

The prize fund for the rapid chess world championship is no less than Euro 30.000. Chess960 has to take a break for a year.

On the first day of the event, 6th August 2010, Anand will play a standard simul on 40 boards. On the same day, Alexandra Kosteniuk will play a 20-board Chess960 simul.

The Grenke Rapid World Championship will also be a treat for chess lovers: Levon Aronian, who is the current rapid chess world champion and the winner of the 2009 ORDIX Open, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, will play the open tournament to face a unique mixture of numerous world-class grandmasters and amateurs.

The Open will be played in the same established format as in the previous editions. On 7th-8th August 2010 11 rounds will be played, in which the time control is 20 minutes + 5 seconds per move.

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

45th Capablana Memorial

The 45th Capablanca Memorial takes place 9th-22nd June 2010. The Elite Group will see Vassily Ivanchuk who won the event three times in a row 2005-7 back alongside Evgeny Alekseev, Ian Nepomniatchi, Nigel Short and Leinier Dominguez and Lazaro Bruzon, the Cuban representatives.

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

Lacona - Isle Of Elba

LACONA - ISLE OF ELBA - May, 8th-18th 2010. Open A (players more than 1800 elo) Open B (players less than 1900 elo) - 9 rounds ask for the complete program (technical and touristic and for the conventioned prices) to booking@tuscanhotels.it Isle of Elba, very well known for the vestiges of Napoleon, is really very nice and in May prices are very convenient; moreover the seaside is wide and confortable

Torino Rapid Open

Rapid Open - TORINO - June, 19 2010. TORINO open - June 20-27 2010 tournaments for women and for not rated players during the Italian Champioships the former capital of Italy prepares itself to celebrate the 150 years of unity of Italy http://www.scacchisticatorinese.it

Arvier (Aosta Valley) July

ARVIER (Aosta Valley) - July, 3-9 2010. 2nd Festival Francophone (open, 9 rounds) - http://www.scacchivda.com Free to all the players of the about 70 countries belonging to the "Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie" (OIF) http://www.francophonie.org Aosta Valley is one of the most famous touristic regions in Italy, very well known for its castles, food and wines

Arvier (Aosta Valley) - September

ARVIER (Aosta Valley) - September, 4-12 2010. 6th European Union championship (open, 9 rounds) - http://www.scacchivda.com Free to all the players of the countries belonging to European Union, plus players from Croatia, Fyrom and Turkey without the right to the title. Aosta Valley is one of the most famous touristic regions in Italy, very well known for its castles, food and wines

Livigno (Sondrio, Valtellina)

LIVIGNO (Sondrio, Valtellina) - September, 10-18 2010. Open A (players more than 2000 elo) Open B (players less than 2000 elo) Open C (players without elo) http://www.livignoscacchi.it - http://www.livigno.eu Livigno is very well known as touristic skying town. It is said "the little Tibet". A few km far there is the village of Trepalle at 2250 metres above sea level, the highest inhabited place of Europe!

Vitoria-Gasteiz Open

The Vitoria-Gasteiz Open takes place 26th July 2010 - 1st August 2010.

Details: http://sites.google.com/site/openvitoriagasteiz2010/Home/bases-del-torneo-1

Victor Mikhalevski Website

GM, author and coach Victor Mikhalevski has launched a new website at: http://vmikhalevski.webs.com/

33nd Taminco Open

33nd Taminco Open International Chess Tournament Gent (Belgium) takes place 17th-21st July 2010, 9 rounds Swiss, two hours KO chess, prize money 6875 Euros for 300 participants, first price 1800 Euros Guaranteed This traditional open tournament takes place near the center of the medieval town of Gent in the week of the famous annual Gent festivities. Organisers Royal Gent Chessclub (KGSRL).

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

Email: open2010@kgsrl.be

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

7th Knokke International Open

The 7th Knokke International Open takes place August 26th-29th 2010, consisting of 7 rounds "Swiss system" - 2 hours K.O.

Prize fund for a total amount of 3.730 Euros (increased by 1000 Euro this year)

Official site: http://www.knokkeschaak.be

email: knokkeschaak@knokkeschaak.be

11th World University Chess Championship

Zurich hosts the World University Chess Championship 2010 5th-11th September 2010. The Academic Chess Club Reti, which is organising the event, is expecting that up to 150 participants from over 25 countries will enter the contest, to be held at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Many international masters and grandmasters between 18 and 28 years of age will fight for individual and team medals. The tournament will comprise nine rounds and will be played in accordance with the Swiss System.

The World University Chess Championship is held under the auspices of the Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU). The organising club, the Academic Chess Club Reti in Zurich, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. It is one of the four largest clubs in Zurich and has an ambitious team in the Swiss League. In 2009 many of the greatest champions and legends in the history of the game participated in the Zurich Chess Club’s 200-year jubilee. This year, some of the strongest champions of the future will be in Zurich.

Official site: http://www.wucc2010.ch

WUCC 2010 is an event of the FISU: http://www.fisu.net

1st Vaujany International Chess Festival

The 1st Vaujany International Chess Festival takes place July 10th-18th 2010.

Details: http://promoechecs.free.fr/

XXX Villa de Benasque Open

The XXX Open Internacional "Villa de Benasque" takes place 8th-17th July 2010.

Official site: http;//www.openbenasque.com

Canadian Open Chess Championship 2010

The traditional Canadian Open Chess Championship takes place 10th-18th July, in Westin Harbour Castle, Downtown Toronto, Ontario. This year's event is a 9-round one-game-per-day single-section Swiss with a guaranteed prize fund of at least C$ 30,000. Additional side events will be included like Speed Chess Championship, GM simuls, and lectures, etc. Grandmasters E. Rozentalis, A. Shabalov, and J. Friedel have already confirmed their participation.

Contacts: Michael Barron ( barron045@yahoo.com ) and Brian Fiedler (fiedlerbrian@yahoo.com.au )

Registration form and more information is available at http://www.chess.ca/canopen.shtml, and http://www.monroi.com.

Hungarian Tournaments March - October 2010

The list of the HUN GM-IM norm and Open chess tournaments from March until October 2010:

1. 6th-18th of March, FIRST SATURDAY (FS) GM-IM-rating Budapest, Org: Nagy Laszlo, http://www.firstsaturday.hu

2. 19th-28th of March, 26th Budapest Spring Festival, 9 rounds Swiss Open, org: Nagy Laszlo

3. 19th-27th of March IM + rating CAISSA Kecskemet (85 km from Budapest), Org: Dr.Erdelyi, http://www.caissachessbooks.com

4. 3rd-16th of April FIRST SATURDAY GM-IM-rating Budapest, org: Nagy L,

5. 17th-25th of April, CAISSA Kecskemet, IM + rating, org: Erdelyi,

6. 1st-13th May, FIRST SATURDAY, Budapest, GM-IM-rating - org: Nagy L,

7. 14th-22nd May CAISSA Kecskemet IM + rating, org: Erdelyi,

8. 26th May-3rd June ZALAKAROS open, org: IM Horvath, Tamas, http://www.csutisk.hu,

9. 5th-17th June, FIRST SATURDAY Budapest, GM-IM-rating, org Nagy L,

10.19th-27h June, Balaton Open, HÉVÍZ, GM-IM, org: IM Rigo, e-mail: me-ri@t-online.hu

11.19th-27th June, CAISSA Kecskemet, IM + rating, Org: Erdelyi,

12.3rd-15th July, FIRST SATURDAY Budapest, GM+IM+rating, org: Nagy L,

13.17th-25th July, CAISSA Kecskemet, GM+IM+rating, org: Erdelyi,

14.27th July-4th August, GM-IM + Open, Szombathely (250 km West from Budapest), org: Csonka, Attila, e-mail: attila.csonka@lamived.hu

15.7th-19th August, FIRST SATURDAY Budapest GM+IM+rating, org: Nagy L

16.21st-29th August, CAISSA Kecskemet, GM+IM+rating, org: Erdelyi

17.4th-16th Sept, FIRST SATURDAY GM+IM+rating Budapest, org: Nagy L

18.17th-25th Sept CAISSA Kecskemet IM+rating, org: Erdelyi.

8th Davos Open

The 8th Davos Open takes place August, 8th-14th 2010, in the Hotel "Sunstar". Sinisa Joksic will organise the event which he hopes to be an old fashioned friendly tournament.

All information at: http://www.sinchess.com/davos

XXIII Leon Tournament 2010

The XXIII Leon Tournament takes place 3rd-7th June 2010. Levon Aronian, Boris Gelfand, Lenier Dominguez Perez and Francisco Vallejo Pons play in the knockout event. Each match will be played the best of four games (20 minutes per player + 10 seconds increment after each move). However, all four games will be played, even if the match winner has been already decided. If the result after four games is 2-2, a five minute games tiebreak match will be played immediately after the fourth normal game.

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

Bosna 2010

The Sarajevo "Bosna 2010" takes place May, 5th-14th with more than 100.000 euro in prizes.

Official site: http://open2010.skbosna.ba

Aosta Valley

Championship of Francophone countries, July 3th-10th 2010.

UE Championship, September 4th-12th 2010.

Official site: http:\\www.scacchivda.com

Chess Summer in Varna 2010

V European OPEN Chess ClubTeams Championship and the VII European OPEN Festival "The Hopes of the World" - for school champions and IV International Open Chess Festival Varna takes place 11th-21st and 22nd-29th June 2010 in "Grand Hotel Varna", located in the Black Sea resort named "St. Constantine and Elena", 8 kilometers away from the city of Varna, Bulgaria.

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

XXVIII Andorra International Chess Open

The XXVIII Andorra International Chess Open takes place 17th-25th July 2010. Prizes: 10.000 Euros / 1st Prize: 2.100 Euros

Details: http://www.escacsandorra.com

Contact: open@escacsandorra.com - FEVA - Tel/Fax: 00.376.824465

Czech Tour 2010-11

The 10th International Chess Festivals Series Czech Tour 2010-11 has the following preliminary list. (Subject to small changes.)

1st HRADEC KRALOVE OPEN (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 15th-22nd May 2010.

21st CZECH OPEN - Pardubice (European Youth Chess Teams Championship, European Amateurs Championship, GM open taken in ACP-TOUR, 4 FIDE opens, Open Championship of the Czech Republic in active chess taken in ACP-TOUR, Open Championship of the Czech Republic of 4-member teams, in blitz marathon, bughouse and Fischerandom chess, problem solving competition, blitz tournaments for individuals, pairs and teams, pairs active chess, youth tournament etc.). 15th July - 1st August 2010. http://www.czechopen.net

13th OLOMOUC CHESS SUMMER - Olomouc (FIDE open, closed GM and IM tournaments, seniors tournament, active chess, blitz chess tournament). 4th-12th August 2010.

9th Georgiev's and Kesarovsky´s Memorial - Sunny Beach, Bulgaria (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 28th August - 5th September 2010.

7th HIGHLANDS OPEN - Zdar nad Sazavou (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 25th September - 2nd October 2010.

11th LIBEREC OPEN (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 23rd-30th October 2010.

1st BRNO OPEN (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 14th-20th November 2010

4th SOUTH BOHEMIA OPEN - Cesky Krumlov (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 21st-27th November 2010.

2nd PILSNER OPEN (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament).4th-11th December 2010.

10th PRAGUE OPEN (2 FIDE opens, one of them with IM norm, active chess, blitz tournament). 7th-14th January 2011.

10th MARIENBAD OPEN (FIDE open, closed GM and IM tournaments, active chess, blitz tournament). 15th-22nd January 2011.

2nd NOVY BOR OPEN (FIDE open, active chess, blitz tournament). 12th-19th February 2011.

More detailed information: AVE-KONTAKT s.r.o., Sukova 1556, 530 02 Pardubice, Czech Republic tel./fax + 420 466 535 200, mobile phone + 420 608 203 007 e-mail: j.mazuch@avekont.cz

http://www.czechtour.net

24th Pula Open 2010

The 24th International Chess Tournament "Pula Open 2010" takes place 19th-26th June 2010 in Hotel Histria, Pula, Croatia. Swiss system 9 rounds, 90 minutes + 30 seconds per every move (from the beginning of the game). Prize fund is 11 000 EUR net (in Croatian kunas). There are 53 prizes in total. The prizes are not cumulative. Entry fee is 50 EUR but players younger that 18 years pay 25 EUR and IM-s and GM-s do not pay. Last year 295 players from 25 counties participated.

Details: http://www.skpula.hr

E-mail: pulaopen@gmail.com

You can also contact the tournament director Mr. Denis Vretenar: +385/ 91/ 5268340

9th Czech Tour 2009/2010

13-20.2. 2010 1st NOVY BOR OPEN (the Prazak Grandhotel) http://www.czechtour.net/novy-bor-open/

8.-15.1. 2010 9th PRAGUE OPEN (TOP HOTEL Praha) http://www.czechtour.net/prague-open/

16.-23.1. 2010 9th MARIENBAD OPEN (the Kossuth hotel) http://www.czechtour.net/marienbad-open/

Dates of the first tournaments of the 10th jubilee CZECH TOUR 2010 / 2011 Series:

15.-22.5. 2010 1st HRADEC KRALOVE OPEN (the Cernigov hotel)

15.7.-1.8. 2010 21st CZECH OPEN (Pardubice, CEZ Arena)

4.-12.8. 2010 13th OLOMOUC CHESS SUMMER (the Sigma hotel)

Official site: http://www.czechtour.net/news/

International Correspondence Chess Federation

The International Correspondence Chess Federation has announced the Preliminary Sections of the World Correspondence Chess Championship will start on March 10th. 2010.

Also Slovenia's 15 Years Membership of ICCF tournament semi-finals.

Details on the ICCF Official site: http://www.iccf.com/content/index.php

FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship

FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship - an Official FIDE World Chess Championship! 9R-SS G/90 + 30/sec increment. Holiday Inn Hotel: 5300 W Touhy Ave Skokie, IL 60077. 847.679.8900. $20,000 Guaranteed. Open to players with no FIDE title and rated under 2000 FIDE. All players compete in a single section. Please see tournament website for more detailed rating regulations.

Prizes: Overall: $3000-2000-1600-1400; Top Women: $1000-600-400-200; (1799-1600): $1000-600-400-200; (1599-1400): $1000-600-400-200; (U1400): $1000-600-400-200; (Unrated): $1000-600-400-200;

EF: $120 by 6pm 02/15, $150 by 6pm 03/15; $200 thereafter and onsite. No re-entries allowed. No half-point byes allowed (zero point byes only). Onsite registration from 3-5pm 03/19.

Rds: 3/19 - 6:30pm; 3/20-21 - 12pm and 6:30pm per day; 3/22-25 - 6:30pm per night.

Mail entries with registration information to: North American Chess Association (make checks payable to) 4957 Oakton Street, Suite 113, Skokie, IL 60077.

More information and online registration available at: http://www.worldchesschamps.com. Questions via email only: sevan@worldchesschamps.com

South Lakes Congress

The South Lakes Congress is taking place on w/e of 11-13th June 2010 at The Grand Hotel, Grange-over-Sands. The contact for the event is: Trevor Blower, 18 Blackbutts Lane, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 3AP. email: trevor.blower@talktalk.net, Phone No 01229 472100.

Mundial Chess Internet Tournament

The organising Committee Mundial Chess invites all the players (from the amateurs to Grandmasters) to take part in the 1st Internet tournament with the prize fund of more than 130.000 EUR in cash and many special prizes. The 1st prize in the main tournament will be not less than 10.000 EUR.

Registration (and information in English) in the tournament is possible following the link - http://www.mundialchess.com/chess-online/en/zvfdxt6 Registration and information in Spanish - http://www.mundialchess.com/chess-online/es/zvfdxt6 Registration and information in Russian - http://www.mundialchess.com/chess-online/ru/zvfdxt6

Ajedrez 21 English site

Ajedrez 21 now has an English site: http://www.ajedrez21.com/en/

Kingpin Magazine

The humourous and satirical chess magazine Kingpin has a new website.

New website address: http://www.kingpinchess.net

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.

European Union Website

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

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