31.03.2010 – The new ChessBase Magazine presents the greatest chess tournament of the year
so far, Wijk an Zee, in a worthy fashion: six of the main protagonists (tournament
winner Carlsen, Anand, Kramnik, Shirov, Short, and Van Wely) have commented
on their best games, some even in video or audio format. A total of 13 up-to-date
openings articles on the DVD once again enforce your repertoire with new ideas
and tricks. Order CBM
135 now, or read this
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ChessBase Magazine 135 At the end of the super-tournament in Wijk an Zee two young heroes were in the spotlight: with a little bit of luck Magnus Carlsen won the top tournament, and at the age of only 15, Anish Giri was victorious in the B-tournament and thus qualified for the tournament for the top players for next year. On this DVD there are comments on their best games from, e.g., tournament victor Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Alexei Shirov and Nigel Short. Whereas world champion Anand usually mostly went in controlled fashion with the flow in Wijk, his challenger for the WCh, Veselin Topalov, went about things in his usual combative way in Linares and majestically won the second great tournament highlight of this issue despite a lapse in the last round but one. On the DVD you will find all the games from these world class tournaments, more than 4 hours of video analysis (e.g. by Shirov and Short about Wijk), 13 up-to-date openings articles with suggestions for your repertoire as well as training contributions in tactics, the middlegame and the endgame.
31.03.2010 – Every book on rook endings tells us that positions with
pawns on the same wing are usually drawn, even when one side has
an extra pawn. In Nice, Magnus Carlsen demonstrated that even with an equal number
of pawns (four against four on the kingside) there are still plenty of practical chances,
especially in a rapid game. Playchess spectators were enthralled to see how a hopelessly drawn
endgame turned in the hands of the Norwegian into a winning position. In his analysis for ChessBase Magazine Online, Karsten
Müller reveals to you exactly where Carlsen's opponent Ponomariov left the path
which led to a draw.
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Alexej Shirov :
Sicilian Najdorf 6.Bg5 There are few opening systems which have been undergoing such a fast and furious renaissance as the 6.Bg5 Variation of the Najdorf System. Inspired by Radjabovs victories over Anand and Karjakin in 2006, a great number of games have been played since then, meaning that the theory has developed enormously.
30.03.2010 – This is not just any event it took place on the campus grounds of the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica, nestled in a lush valley, one of the most scenic areas in Greater Kingston. On the free day participants could typically scramble up waterfalls or swim with dolphins. The chess action was dominated by Uzbek GM Timur Gareyev from the University of Texas. Big pictorial report.
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ChessBase Magazine 135 At the end of the super-tournament in Wijk an Zee two young heroes were in the spotlight: with a little bit of luck Magnus Carlsen won the top tournament, and at the age of only 15, Anish Giri was victorious in the B-tournament and thus qualified for the tournament for the top players for next year. On this DVD there are comments on their best games from, e.g., tournament victor Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Alexei Shirov and Nigel Short. Whereas world champion Anand usually mostly went in controlled fashion with the flow in Wijk, his challenger for the WCh, Veselin Topalov, went about things in his usual combative way in Linares and majestically won the second great tournament highlight of this issue despite a lapse in the last round but one. On the DVD you will find all the games from these world class tournaments, more than 4 hours of video analysis (e.g. by Shirov and Short about Wijk), 13 up-to-date openings articles with suggestions for your repertoire as well as training contributions in tactics, the middlegame and the endgame.
Timur Gareyev captures JNBS UWI Masters
By Zachary Ramsay, UWI Chess Society
Uzbek grandmaster Timur Gareyev from the University of Texas in Brownsville
completed his domination of the JNBS UWI Masters when he defeated Jamaican FIDE
Master Jomo Pitterson at the Assembly Hall, University of the West Indies Mona,
Jamaica. He collected a total of eight points from nine games, thus gaining
the title of Caribbean Collegiate Champion.
David Mullings, Manager of eChannels and Discount Business of the Jamaica
National Building Society, makes the first move on the game between GM Gareyev
(right) and IM Margvelashvili (left), while Dr. Thelora Reynolds, the Director
of Student Services (UWI, Mona) looks on
Gareyev (left) collects his prize for Caribbean Collegiate Champion from David
Mullings,
Manager of eChannels and Discount Business of the Jamaica National Building
Society
GM elect Giorgi Margvelashvili from the University of Maryland in Baltimore
County, and IM Marko Zivanic from the University of Texas in Dallas followed
in second and third place respectively, with 7.5 and 6.5 points. National Master
Shane Matthews of Jamaica, placed an impressive fourth, after securing a well-fought
draw with IM Margvelashvili.
IM Margvelashvili (left) collects his prize for second place
IM Zivanic (left) collects his prize for third place
Marcus Joseph, the National Champion of Trinidad and Tobago and a student of
the UWI St. Augustine campus, made an exciting comeback when he defeated both
Jamaica’s top players, FM Warren Elliott and Swedish FM Bengt Hammar.
Daren Wisdom captured the UWI Open Championship, after placing ahead of National
Master Mark Holness on tiebreak, after both had finished on five points. UWI’s
National Master Damion Davy, captured third place in the UWI Open Championship
with 4.5 points, after splitting the point in a very close encounter with long-time
rival National Master Russell Porter.
Daren Wisdom (left) is the UWI Open Champion 2010
In other sections, over two hundred participants sparred for the sectional
titles. Lawrence Foreman and Justin Lowe won the Under 12 section, while Shreyas
Smith captured the Under 16 section, all on perfect scores. Rachel Miller, Elias
Issa and Aldeam Facey were victorious in the Beginners section.
NM Damion Davy (left) is the top University player in the Open Sections
Chancellor Hall (UWI), led by National Master Damion Davy, dominated the Inter-hall
Chess Competition, when they flanked Rex Nettleford Hall 3-0 in the finals;
this after turning back top seeds Preston Hall.
Marcus Joseph, the National Champion of Trinidad and Tobago (far left) tackles
National Master Shane Matthews of Jamaica, while National Master Geoffrey Byfield
(far right) puts up a fight against International Master Margvelasvhili
The Open Sections, in which over 200 participants in age groups and skill
levels
The tournament was organized by the UWI Chess Society, of the University of
the West Indies Mona, Jamaica; and was designed to promote chess both at the
university and national level. President of the UWI Chess Society, Zachary Ramsay
said he was “proud of the involvement of the young chess players”
and sees the second staging of this tournament as being in keeping with the
mandate of the Society as they seek to incorporate chess into the culture of
the University and improve the intellectual drive and capacity of its students
while striving to challenge a new generation of Caribbean chess players.
GM Timur Gareyev gives a simultaneous exhibition
Part of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the improvement of the
National Children's Home, the Society’s outreach project. The event was
sponsored by the Office of the Principal, UWI, Mona, The Jamaica National Building
Society (JNBS), American Airlines, The Gleaner, National Commercial Bank, Pages
Café and Supreme Ventures.
Dolphin Cove, Ocho Rios, another popular tourist attraction that the participants
visited; guests have the opportunity to swim with and touch dolphins
The popular tourist attraction, Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios...
...which the participants visited on the rest day
International participants enjoying a drink of coconut water
NM Malaku Lorne displaying his fancy footwork in a recreational football
game
Video impressions of the event
About the University of the West Indies Mona
The University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica was established in 1948
as a college of the University of London. It gained full University status in
1962. The Mona Campus, located in Northern Kingston, encompasses 653 acres of
land formerly part of two large sugar estates, Papine and Mona. Scattered throughout
the campus are the famous historic ruins of a Roman-style aqueduct, water wheel,
and other remnants of the sugar works which once stood on the site.
Arial view of Mona Campus explore in the above frame or in a larger
map
The campus is nestled in a lush valley embraced by Long Mountain to the south
and the southernmost peaks of the famous Blue Mountain Range to the North. Mona
is perhaps one of the most scenic areas in Greater Kingston, with the surrounding
mountains providing a verdant backdrop which enhances the serene atmosphere
of the campus.
The Annex building at the University of the West Indies Mona
The Chapel at the University, which displays beautiful historic architecture
30.03.2010 – The world economic crisis is being felt in chess. In Bulgaria the the annual MTel tournament has been cancelled this year, and the very popular Mainz Chess Classic has been reduced to a three-day simul and open. Still, two world champions are part of the former, and a very large elite field of GMs is expected to play in the latter, which carries a prize fund of 30,000. Press release.
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ChessBase Magazine 135 At the end of the super-tournament in Wijk an Zee two young heroes were in the spotlight: with a little bit of luck Magnus Carlsen won the top tournament, and at the age of only 15, Anish Giri was victorious in the B-tournament and thus qualified for the tournament for the top players for next year. On this DVD there are comments on their best games from, e.g., tournament victor Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Alexei Shirov and Nigel Short. Whereas world champion Anand usually mostly went in controlled fashion with the flow in Wijk, his challenger for the WCh, Veselin Topalov, went about things in his usual combative way in Linares and majestically won the second great tournament highlight of this issue despite a lapse in the last round but one. On the DVD you will find all the games from these world class tournaments, more than 4 hours of video analysis (e.g. by Shirov and Short about Wijk), 13 up-to-date openings articles with suggestions for your repertoire as well as training contributions in tactics, the middlegame and the endgame.
Press release
Chess Classic Mainz 2010 – Back to the roots
"Making a virtue out of necessity" is the central theme of
the 17th Chess Classic Mainz. From 06 – 08 August 2010 the major
international rapid chess event in the world will be played in Mainz.
The Chess Tigers would have loved to present a whole week of top level
chess in all its beauty and diversity, as we did in previous editions,
but in this difficult economic times many companies do not have the financial
resources anymore to to support sport events.
However, the Chess Tigers are still very grateful to announce the Chess Classic
Mainz this year in a different format, that goes back to the roots of the first
Chess Classic tournament of 1994, which was organized in Frankfurt. Just like
the first-ever Chess Classic, we will be able to present two simultanious exhibitions
and a rapid chess open tournament. In the simuls no less than two world champions
will battle it out with amateurs: Chess World Champion Viswanathan Anand and
his female counterpart Alexandra Kosteniuk, who does not only hold the title
in classical chess, but also in Chess960.
Women's and Chess960 world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
There is another small, but important difference to the 1994 edition: we upgraded
the the rapid chess open to the Grenke Rapid World Championship. Nothing new
is the top-level field with world-class grandmasters, the renowned presentation
and the excellent playing conditions in the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz. It is an
open tournament, and the winner will be crowned rapid chess world champion.
The main sponsor Wolfgang Grenke, CEO of Grenke Leasing,
with World Champion Viswanathan Anand
The Chess Tigers would like to thank their sponsors for the fantastic support
in the past nine years. 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.
These companies are able to provide sponsorship in different ways to make the
Chess Classic once again a great event. The prize fund for the rapid chess world
championship is no less than €30,000. Chess960, the exciting chess variant
that has been pushed in Mainz and even made it in the offical FIDE rules, has
to take a break for a year. We are confident, that we will be able to carry
on with Chess960 next year.
Anand and Chess Classic organizer Hans-Walter Schmitt at last year's simul
It is no secret that the 15. World Champion Viswanathan Anand is one of the
closest friends of the Chess Tigers and it goes without saying that he will
play a part in the 10th Chess Classic Mainz. On the first day of the event,
on 06 August, Anand will play a standard simul on 40 boards. On the same day,
Alexandra Kosteniuk will play a 20-board Chess960 simul. As you can see, Chess960
will still have a place in Mainz!
Armenian GM Levon Aronian, winner of the 2009 Ordix Open
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.
You do not get the chance too often to play in a tournament with so many top
players and with a little luck you may face a top ten player or even a world
champion on the other side of the board!
World-class GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov from Azerbaijan
The Open will be played in the same established format as in the previous editions.
On 07/08 August 11 rounds will be played, in which the time control is 20 minutes
+ 5 seconds per move. The ambitious Chess Tigers organization team, who all
work on a voluntary basis, will present the Chess Classic with all their experience
and power on the highest level with the latest technology.
The Chess Tigers team, led by main organizer Hans-Walter Schmitt and patron
Jens Beutel, Lord Mayor of the Mainz, invites you to the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz
from 06-08 August 2010 for three days of chess extravaganza!
29.03.2010 – Although Vassily Vassilievich Smyslov, who died last Saturday, was best known as a chess player and World Champion, he had a great love for music. "My study of chess was accompanied by a strong attraction to music," he wrote, "and it was probably thanks to this that from childhood I became accustomed to thinking of chess as an art." Listen to Smyslov sing Stenka Razin.
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Alexej Shirov :
Sicilian Najdorf 6.Bg5 There are few opening systems which have been undergoing such a fast and furious renaissance as the 6.Bg5 Variation of the Najdorf System. Inspired by Radjabovs victories over Anand and Karjakin in 2006, a great number of games have been played since then, meaning that the theory has developed enormously.
Vasily Smyslov, 1921 – 2010
Vasily Smyslov died on 27th March 2010 in Moscow, just three days after his
89th birthday. He had checked into the Botkin Clinic earlier in the week, complaining
of heart problems.
Smyslov in Reykjavik
"The news of our dear friend Vasily Vasiliyevich passing made me very
sad," writes Einar S. Einarsson from Reykjavik. "Although it was perhaps
not completely unexpected, it still came as a shock. He was for sure one of
the greats and leaves a big vacuum in the chess world. I send his family and
Russian chess friends my deepest sympathy and condolences. There will be one
minute silence as a tribute to his memory at the KR Chess Club this evening
while the chess clocks will tick." Einar sent us the following pictures
from his personal album:
In the picture you may have some doubts about the "B.Spassky"
label in the upper image...
... but it is true – take a look at a full frontal with with young,
long-haired Boris Vasilievich
"Because of our close acquaintance and friendship I often thought about
him and could feel his gentle presence in remote watching his cartoon (by Masec
Oto) on the wall of my study. I bought the original in Novi Sad in 1990, looking
at his games or listening to his singing from the CD he presented me with some
years ago.
Smyslov the singer
Here are two articles in the New York Times blog by Dylan Loeb McClain:
In the second on McClain tells us that although Smyslov was clearly best known
as a chess player, he had a great love for music. He believed that the two were
interrelated. In his book, “Smyslov’s 125 Selected Games”
he wrote:
My study of chess was accompanied by a strong attraction to music, and it
was probably thanks to this that from childhood I became accustomed to thinking
of chess as an art, and have never regarded it as anything else, for all the
science and sport involved in it. And, moreover, an art which in some ways
is closer to music than it is customary to think. Perhaps chess and music
are drawn together by laws of harmony and beauty which are difficult to formulate
and difficult to grasp, or perhaps by something else.
At parties and informal gatherings, he was known to suddenly start singing
and he had a powerful voice, having tried out (and almost been accepted) at
the Bolshoi Opera. The video below was posted on YouTube last October and purports
to be a recording of Smyslov singing Stenka Razin.
Baritone Vasily Smyslov. At the age of 75 he produced his first CD of Russian
romances.
The song is quite famous and deals with the exploits of a 17th century Russian
hero. Stenka Timofeyevich Razin, born in 1630, died in 1671, was a Cossack leader
who headed a major uprising against the Tsarist bureaucracy in southern Russia.
He started off as a diplomat, a pilgrim and then a robber chief who extracted
fees from vessels passing up and down the Volga. He sailed into the Caspian
Sea, ravaged the Persian coasts and massacring the inhabitants.
Stenka Razin sailing in the Caspian Sea (painting by Vasily Surikov in
the
Russian Museum, St Petersburg)
He established a Cossack republic along the whole length of the Volga, and
then advanced against Moscow. Razin was ultimately routed and fled down the
Volga. In 1671 he was captured and taken to Moscow, where, after torture, he
was quartered alive in the Red Square. The whole story reminds one of William
Wallace, the Scottish independence hero of the Mel Gibson extravaganza Braveheart. Common people were fascinated by the adventures of Stenka Razin. He became
the subject of a symphonic poem by Alexander Glazunov and a cantata by Shostakovich.
But most famously Stenka Razin is the hero of a popular Russian folk song, written
by Dmitri Sadovnikov.
Russian
Transcription
English
Из-за острова
на стрежень,
На простор речной
волны, Выплывают
расписные, Острогрудые
челны.
Iz-za ostrova na strezhen',
Na prostor rechnoy volny,
Vyplyvayut raspisnye,
Ostrogrudye chelny.
From beyond the wooded island
To the river wide and free
Proudly sailed the arrow-breasted
Ships of Cossack yeomanry.
На переднем
Стенька Разин,
Обнявшись, сидит
с княжной, Свадьбу
новую справляет,
Сам веселый
и хмельной.
Na perednem Sten'ka Razin,
Obnyavshis', sidit s knyazhnoy,
Svad'bu novuyu spravlyaet,
Sam veselyi i khmel'noy.
On the first is Stenka Razin
With his princess by his side
Drunken holds in marriage revels
With his beauteous young bride
Позади их слышен
ропот: Нас на
бабу променял!
Только ночь
с ней провозился
Сам наутро бабой
стал . . . .
Pozadi ikh slyschen ropot:
Nas na babu promenyal!
Tol'ko noch' s nej provozilsja
Sam nautro baboy stal . . . .
From behind there comes a murmur "He has left his sword to woo;
One short night and Stenka Razin
Has become a woman, too."
Этот ропот и
насмешки Слышит
грозный атаман,
И могучею рукою
Обнял персиянки
стан.
Etot ropot i nasmeshki
Slyshit groznyi ataman,
I mogucheju rukoju
Obnjal persijanki stan.
Stenka Razin hears the murmur
Of his discontented band
And his lovely Persian princess
He has circled with his hand.
"Волга, Волга,
мать родная,
Волга, русская
река, Не видала
ты подарка От
донского казака!
"Volga, Volga, mat' rodnaya,
Volga, russkaya reka,
Ne vidala ty podarka
Ot donskovo kazaka!
Volga, Volga, Mother Volga
Wide and deep beneath the sun,
You have never seen such a present
From the Cossacks of the Don.
Мощным взмахом
поднимает Он
красавицу княжну
И за борт ее бросает
В набежавшую
волну.
Moshchnym vzmakhom podnimaet
On krasavitsu knyazhnu
I za bort eyo brosaet
V nabezhavshuyu volnu.
Now, with one swift mighty motion
He has raised his bride on high
And has cast her where the waters
Of the Volga roll and sigh.
