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After 5 games, do you feel that the Anand - Gelfand World Championship match is
	Super exciting
	Super disappointing
	Exciting
	Disappointing
	Just as expected

How does Sveshnikov feel about Gelfand employing his opening? See for yourself. Video provided by our friends at Europe Echecs.

GARRY KASPAROV TO BE GUEST OF HONOUR AT WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Garry Kasparov, the 13th world champion, will be a guest of honour at the world chess championship match on 18 May. Garry Kimovich will answer questions from journalists and comment on the match, and will also play a simultaneous exhibition game for young chess players.

A press conference with the 13th champion will take place at 15:15 in the Match press centre, which is operating in the Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushinsky Lane, 12).

When the press conference ends at 16:00 Garry Kasparov will visit the match commentators and will join Alexander Grischuk (in Russian) and Peter Svidler (in English) to discuss the sixth game in the match. Garry Kasparov’s comments will be available not only to the spectators but also to visitors to the official website for the match: http://moscow2012.fide.com/
At 17:00 the famous grandmaster will play a simultaneous exhibition game for young chess players who are taking part in the children’s programme at the match. Prize winners and winners in the world, Russian and European children’s championships will be taking part in the game.

Access to all events at the FIDE world chess championship match is by accredited pass. If you are not accredited to the match, you can send an application for accreditation to the press conference to: korneva@skc-agency.ru or you can obtain accreditation by calling +7 (905) 506-26-04.

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The FIDE World Chess Championship match between the world champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and the challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel) will take place from 10 to 31 May 2012 in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Chess championship match will be taking place in one of the world’s biggest museums for the first time.

Organisers of the match are FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and the RCF (the Russian Chess Federation). Initiator of the idea of holding the match in Moscow and its sponsor is the Russian entrepreneur Andrei Filatov (joint owner of the N-Trans Group). Other sponsors of the contest include businessman Gennady Timchenko and the Ladoga charitable foundation, and also the NVisionGroup, Novatek and Almaz-Antei companies.

Contact information for journalists:
Mark Glukhovsky
Press Attaché for the Russian Chess Federation

Israelis flock to Moscow to show support for Gelfand
Last Updated: Thursday, May 17, 2012, 17:56

Jerusalem: Chess may not be among the most popular sports in Israel, but a lot of Israelis are flocking to Moscow to cheer countryman Boris Gelfand who is in pursuit to dislodge Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand as the world`s leading chess player at the FIDE world championship.

"Israelis are indeed showing their pride and support for Gelfand. Many hardcore chess fans have come to Moscow to see the match in person, as opposed to following it online like tens of thousands of others are doing," reported daily Ha`aretz, as the championship is generating more and more interest in the Israeli public.

Several Israelis arrived in the Russian capital a few days before the match started. Even though lodging in one of the world`s most expensive cities requires both daring and deep pockets, many continue to follow as the match enters the final stages.

"And those aren`t even the bulk of Gelfand`s supporters, who are expected to arrive next week. That group includes several high-ranking chess players and a fair number of amateurs, who decided to combine a tour of Moscow`s countless historical sites with the final stage of the match," the report added.

A lot of these amateur and professional chess players have gathered in the centre of Israel to watch the match.

"Of course, the chess players are excited about this," Yoav Nissenbaum, a member of the Israel Chess Federation said, adding, "This is the first time that an Israeli has made it to the world championship." Ido Ben Artzi, a 17-year-old grandmaster, says that he hardly misses a single move in the match.

"I try to get home in time. I go over the game and see what I think of every single move, without relying on the commentary for help. That`s how I put myself in the players` places," he said.

Source: http://zeenews.india.com

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Anand is going for it. 1.e4! A shocker! And Gelfand responds with 1.c5 We have a sharp Sicilian!

2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 We have the Sveshnikov even though Gelfand is also a Najdorf expert

7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c4 More popular is 11. c3

11...b4 12. Nc2 0-0 I think Anand may be surprised by Gelfand's opening response. Anand is not playing the sharpest line. When will the novelty come?

13.g3 a5 14. Bg2 Here white could play 14. h4 but chose not to. Still opening book and no new novelty.

14...Bg5 The idea is if h4 then Bh6 Interesting to see the guessing WC game by both players. Anand opened with e4 only to have Gelfand not play his pet Najdorf. Both of them are old foxes. They're using their experience to avoid possible home prep. With computer technology today, it can be dangerous.

15. 0-0 Be6 Also popular is 15...Ne7

Very interesting. After 16. f4, Gelfand played 16...Bxd5. Anand is thinking hard about what to take back with.

Anand took back with 17.cxd5 and not 17. exd5. I am still shocked with 16...Bxd5. This is considered not so great.

17...Nb8 Nice post for the Knight at c5 after Nd7. I'm sure 16...Bxd5 was a part of his home preparation. He played it quite fast :)

18. a3 Na6 This is unusual but Gelfand played it instantly.

19. axb4 Nxb4 20. Nxb4 axb4 21. h4 Bh6 Even though we have even materials, white is slightly better because of black's Bishop on h6, kind of out of the way. White should focus perhaps on the queenside.

22.Bh3 An unexpected move, perhaps to stop black's access to the c file. If black plays Qb6 then Bishop can go to d7.

Gelfand is spending a lot of time in this position. He is looking for the least dramatic, most effective way to simplify this position for a draw.

So finally 22...Qb6. I expect 23. Bd7 from Anand now.

23. Bd7 it is. Gelfand responded immediately with b3

24. Bc6 Ra2 25. Rxa2 bxa2 26. Qa3 This is heading to another draw.

26...Rb8 27. Qxa2 and they agreed to a draw less than 2 hours into the game.

Pravin Thipsay: Anand has aces up his sleeve
Published Thursday May 17 2012 11 00 IST
By Vijay Tagore | Place Mumbai | Agency DNA.

The world championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand is intriguingly poised with neither player showing signs of dominance. With the scores level after four games, it has so far appeared to be a battle of equals although Anand is over 60 Elo points ahead of his Israeli challenger.

In that sense, the scoreline is a setback for the world champion who is also known to be good beginner. But experts believe Anand has a few aces up his sleeve. “I expect him to come out with surprises in the next two set of games. I’m sure he will be plus one by the eighth game,” says Pravin Thipsay.

The Mumbai-based Grandmaster thinks Anand’s secret weapon could be e4 and he could come up trumps in the Sicilian Najdorf or Petroff openings. “So far he has played d4. He’s strong at e4 as well. He will use this at some stage. Gelfand has been a Sicilian Najdorf (an option to e4 opening) player for the last 30 years. He got results in the Petroff Defence (an offshoot of e4 opening) on occasions. Anand has good results in both Petroff and Najdorf,” Thipsay says, analysing the options before the Indian maestro. “When and where Anand plays e4 will be interesting to watch.”

The former national champion thinks Anand’s strategy could unravel in the next two or three games as he will not want to leave it till the end. “Anand has something in his mind which will be clear in the next two sets of games. Obviously, Anand will not want to leave it till the end. I’m sure Anand will try to take lead in the next four games. By Game 8, I’m hoping him to be plus one.”

Thipsay says there has not been a clear-cut trend so far in the match. “It has been a very well-fought theoretical battle without advantage or disadvantage for either player. The first two games were more or less equal. In Game 3, Anand had an edge but Gelfand played accurately and in Game 4, Gelfand was better but Anand came up with precise moves.”

The veteran GM says he is baffled by Anand’s strategy. “I’m still trying to figure out what the strategies have been. Anand will be comfortable when his opponent is tired. He has been hoping for an opponent who is elder to him. So Gelfand suits him as an opponent and yet he could not do much in Game 4. I was expecting something from Anand as Game 3 was long and Gelfand had to toil for a draw. He was tired and I hoped Anand would try something different. My judgment was wrong. Maybe he has deferred his plans by a few games,” Thipsay points out.

Thipsay admits Gelfand has prepared well. “If Anand has not taken the lead so far, it is because Gelfand has come up with good preparation. Qualitatively, he is quite a strong player. He is a product of the Soviet system in which the players are imparted nuances of the game. So, they have inbuilt advantage over others.”

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

For Immediate Release

Nakamura, Kamsky Win, Zatonskih and Krush Draw
By FM Mike Klein

The 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship did not change leadership today, though the two tournaments produced much different levels of excitement.

With the two top seeds in each division pulling away from the pack, GM Gata Kamsky exuded his usual perfection in positional chess to give GM Alex Lenderman his first loss of the event. That left the crowd watching to see if GM Hikaru Nakamura, the top seed in the U.S. Championship, could keep pace.

After an unusual French Defense led to a stolid middlegame with no obvious breakthrough, it looked like Nakamura and GM Alex Stripunsky would admit the impasse and agree to a draw. After his own game ended, Kamsky looked on from the press room and had a different opinion. He suggested Nakamura prepare his f-pawn's advance, which Nakamura managed in due time. “White has no counterplay and is lost completely,” Kamsky concluded almost instantly.

Sensing the infiltration, Stripunsky was unwilling to wait for the inevitable. He sacrificed a piece, then the exchange, then later, with his time running out, another exchange. The final salvo proved too much. Though he engineered a quintet of passed pawns, Nakamura's rook took post on the eighth rank to parry all the possible promotions. Stripunsky saw his pawns were stuck and resigned. After the game, a quick analysis by the players produced a myriad of variations. Enlisting the help of other players produced more questions than answers. “White's winning, no black's winning, no white's winning,” GM Yasser Seirawan said.

Kamsky's win lacked similar drama. After repulsing any queenside attacking ideas, he eventually advanced five pawns to the fifth rank in picturesque uniformity. After 18...Bh5, Kamsky said his position was “completely OK.” Then he took a closer look and declared, “Actually, maybe it's not so pleasant for white.” The space advantage, coupled with a belligerent knight, was too much for Lenderman to handle.

“The game got away from me quickly somehow,” a flummoxed Lenderman said. “There were so many choices for white, but I couldn't find a way to make the maximum of all my pieces. I was trying to calculate lines before outlining strategic possibilities.” In a moment of extreme candor from the 22-year-old, he added, “The position was just too complicated for me. Chess understanding is just not there for me. Good thing I am playing in this tournament. I keep trying to make 'professor' moves where I try to do too much. I keep making this mistake against 2700s.”

Kamsky and Nakamura both have 6/8 and will play each other on Friday. Should there be a winner, he will be the betting favorite to win the title.

Chasing the two leaders is a trio of grandmasters. GMs Alex Onischuk, Varuzhan Akobian and Yury Shulman all have 4.5/8. Taken together, the top five men comprise the U.S. Olympiad team from 2008, the last time the squad won a team medal.

Akobian won the only other decisive game of the day, besting GM Alejandro Ramirez in a wild game. “It was an unusual position,” Akobian said. Ramirez pushed ...c5, ...b5, ...f5 and ...g5 all in the first 11 moves. He left his center pawns at home while traversing his queen from one rook file to the other. “I was a little too optimistic,” Ramirez replied. “I wanted to play something interesting, but it backfired.”

Akobian said he spent 20 minutes in the opening calculating the unusual tactic 8. b4. If 8...axb3 e.p., the queen hangs. If 8...Qxb4, 9. Rb1 skewers the queen to the bishop. But if 8...cxb4 the pawn blocks the diagonal pin so 9. Nxe4 is possible. A possible variation is 9...b3+ 10. Ned2 b2 11. Ra2 a3 12. e4 Na6 (heading to b4) 13. Bxa6 Bxa6. Upon seeing this position, both players liked their position. Ramirez thought the b2-pawn and white's inability to castle offset his material loss. Ultimately, Akobian said he could not accurately evaluate the position, and headed for calmer waters with 8. c3.

GM Gregory Kaidanov played his second queen versus three minor piece game, this time departing with the monarch to try his hand with the knights and bishops. Earlier in the tournament, GM Robert Hess trapped Kaidanov's queen on the back rank. This time the queen had more space, but with no major weaknesses for either side, Kaidanov and his former student, GM Ray Robson, agreed to a draw.

In the women's side of the playing hall, IMs Zatonskih and Krush renewed their annual rivalry in round 7. Though a great majority of the their previous contests had produced a winner, Krush had little incentive to go for an unbalanced game. Playing black, Krush liquidated the position's energy and the ladies agreed to a lifeless draw. They both still lead with 5/7.

Zatonskih regretted the move 12. Bf4, which allowed Krush to centralize with 12...Nd5 and win a tempo. “It is just fantastic how I played this,” Zatonskih said, chastising herself. She was using the literal connotation of “fantastic,” expressing that the move was unexplainable and bad. Afterward, she thought for 40 minutes.

Krush said a plan with b4 would have created a few problems for her, but ultimately she was never worried. “I just tried to play solid today,” she said. Although her pairings for the final two rounds are significantly easier than Zatonskih's, Krush said, “The tournament is not over. There's no reason to be joyous.”

The players shared a funny possible drawing line. If 15...a6 16. Nbc3 Nd4 17. Rc1 Nb3 18. Rc2 Nd4 19. Rd2 Nb3 20. Rd3 Nc1 and the rook either returns or goes wandering aimlessly.

IM Rusudan Goletiani took sole possession of third place after her win against WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. With a pawn deficit and short on time, Goletiani threw all of her pawns at her opponent's castled king, breaking through for the point. While she does not control her own destiny, Goletiani faces Zatonskih tomorrow as white in a game both women will be trying to win to stay alive for first place. If Zatonskih wins, Goletiani will be mathematically eliminated from title contention.

WGM Sabina Foisor was the only other winner of the round. She used the Samisch Variation to beat FM Alisa Melekhina's favorite King's Indian Defense. With king's castled on opposite sides, Melekhina could not open an attack, and eventually ceded control of the only open file. Foisor's rook took control and dominated in the endgame. Foisor is in sole fourth place with 4/7.

Round nine for the U.S. Championship and round eight for the U.S. Women's Championship will begin tomorrow at 1 p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern. Come visit the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? What is the best continuation for White?

6k1/R4p2/1p2b2P/4KpP1/4p3/4P3/p7/n7 w - - 0 1

Fabiano Caruana lifts the trophy at Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament

The 20th edition of the Sigeman Chess Tournament was organized by Limhamn Chess Club on 9-16th May in Malmö, Sweden.

This year the event had a round robin format with eight players. The additional sponsorship boosted the level of the tournament which featured the strongest lineup ever.

The Italian champion Fabiano Caruana won the competition with an excellent score of 5.5/7 points, leaving the main contender Peter Leko of Hungary half a point behind.

Leko followed the strong pace imposed by the leader and his last-round victory against the over-ambitious Li Chao put some pressure on Caruana. The Italian, however, confidently outplayed Jonny Hector and preserved the top position.

The local hope Nils Grandelius was in the mix for the top two places until he lost to the future tournament winner.

Replay all games with computer analysis

Final standings:
1. GM Caruana Fabiano ITA 2770 – 5.5
2. GM Leko Peter HUN 2723 – 5
3-4. GM Grandelius Nils SWE 2556 and GM Giri Anish NED 2693 – 4
5. GM Li Chao CHN 2703 – 3
6. GM Tikkanen Hans SWE 2566 – 2.5
7-8. GM Berg Emanuel SWE 2587 and GM Hector Jonny SWE 2560 – 2

Official website

THE SUSAN POLGAR FOUNDATION’S NATIONWIDE OPEN FOR GIRLS & BOYS (K-12)
A Fantastic Tournament in a Great Location!

http://www.cajunchess.com/tourns/tournament20.shtml

June 1 – 3, 2012
(Friday – Sunday *** SAVE THE DATES!!)

Holiday Inn Downtown Superdome
330 Loyola Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70112

The Holiday Inn Downtown-Superdome is located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, just 3 blocks from the French Quarter. Hotel features include: free shuttle, restaurant, pool, and more!

UP TO $100,000 IN PRIZES – SCHOLARSHIPS TO TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

MAIN EVENT: Team & Individual - 6-Round Swiss System

SIDE EVENTS: Bughouse – Blitz – Puzzle Solving – Polgar Simul – Aquatic Simul

$99 Hotel Room Rate

* Top 3 player scores count toward team result

* School or club team trophies awarded in each section

* Special Camp with Susan Polgar

* Breakfast With Susan Polgar (Q & A Session)

Team & Individual Competition

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• Open Championship Details (for Main Event and Side Events)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Open Championship (6SS, G/45)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for GM Susan Polgar Chess Camp
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Chess Puzzle Solving Championship
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Bughouse Championship
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Blitz Championship (7SS, G/5)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for ADULT Breakfast at Brennan's with GM Susan Polgar
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for CHILD Breakfast at Brennan's with GM Susan Polgar

If you will be in New Orleans long enough to experience some of the wonderful culture that the city has to offer, may we suggest some of the following tours:

Louisiana Swamp Tour: Weave through the back bayous of the Honey Island Swamp on a small 20- passenger boat and visit an authentic Cajun Village accessible only by boat . . . and then pass through the alligator area where the gators come right alongside the boat for feeding time!

Steamboat Natchez Cruise: Cruise the Mississippi River on a paddlewheeler from the port of New Orleans to the Audubon Zoo and see the city skyline from the best view possible . . . the River View!

Oak Alley or Laura Plantation Tour: Go back to the glory of the old South as you walk through one of these plantation homes, rich in Creole Louisiana's storied past!

Other tours you may enjoy: French Quarter Walking Tour, Garden District Walking Tour, Cemetery Walking Tour (visit St. Louis Cemetery #1 and see the gravesites of Paul Morphy - World Chess Champion in the mid-1850s - and Marie Laveau (the infamous Voo-Doo Queen of New Orleans); visit Mardi Gras World (where Mardi Gras floats are built and Carnival comes alive!).

Other Interesting Places to Visit and Things to Do Around Town:

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Insectarium, national World War II Museum, Louisiana Children's Museum, Audubon Park & Zoo, take a ferry boat ride across the Mississippi River, and take a street car ride up St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District to see all of the mansions along the Avenue.

A MUST FOR EVERY TOURIST:

Take a walk down to Decatur St. by the River in the French Quarter and see Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the French Quarter, and be absolutely sure that you get a chance to have some Cafe au Lait (Cafe O-lay) and Beignets (ben-yeh's) - also known as Coffee & Doughnuts - at the famous Cafe du Monde across from Jackson Square! This will be an experience you will not soon forget! If you have time you can also take a Horse & Carriage ride through the streets of New Orleans with a driver who is an experienced tour guide.

But, whatever you do in New Orleans, make sure you HAVE FUN ! ! ! !

http://www.cajunchess.com/tourns/tournament20.shtml

Standings after 8 rounds

Rk	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Score
1	GM Nakamura, Hikaru	2775	x		½	½	½		1	1		1	1	½	6.0
2	GM Kamsky, Gata	2741		x	1	1	½	1	½	0			1	1	6.0
3	GM Onischuk, Alexander	2660	½	0	x			½	½		½	1	1	½	4.5
4	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	2625	½	0		x	½	½			1	1	0	1	4.5
5	GM Shulman, Yuri	2571	½	½		½	x	½		½	1	½	½		4.5
6	GM Lenderman, Aleksandr	2587		0	½	½	½	x	1	½	½		½		4.0
7	GM Robson, Ray	2614	0	½	½			0	x	½	0	1		1	3.5
8	GM Kaidanov, Gregory S	2594	0	1			½	½	½	x		0	1	0	3.5
9	GM Seirawan, Yasser	2643			½	0	0	½	1		x	0	0	1	3.0
10	GM Hess, Robert L	2635	0		0	0	½		0	1	1	x		½	3.0
11	GM Stripunsky, Alexander	2562	0	0	0	1	½	½		0	1		x		3.0
12	GM Ramirez, Alejandro	2593	½	0	½	0			0	1	0	½		x	2.5

Women's section after 7 rounds

Rk	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
1	IM Zatonskih, Anna	2510	x	½		½		½	½	1	1	1	5.0
2	IM Krush, Irina	2457	½	x	½	1	1	½	1	½			5.0
3	IM Goletiani, Rusudan	2333		½	x	0	1	1	0	1		1	4.5
4	WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca	2364	½	0	1	x	0	1			1	½	4.0
5	WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev	2329		0	0	1	x		½	0	1	1	3.5
6	FM Melekhina, Alisa	2242	½	½	0	0		x		½	1	1	3.5
7	WIM Ni, Viktorija	2228	½	0	1		½		x	0	1	½	3.5
8	WIM Zenyuk, Iryna	2224	0	½	0		1	½	1	x	½		3.5
9	WFM Kats, Alena	2137	0			0	0	0	0	½	x	1	1.5
10	WGM Baginskaite, Camilla	2358	0		0	½	0	0	½		0	x	1.0

Official website: http://uschesschamps.com

World Chess Championship 2012: Round 3 Update

The US Championship is getting to the critical stage. A mistake can be costly as there are very few rounds left after today. Kamsky and Nakamura are leading the field by a full point. But can they maintain this lead?

US Championship round 8 pairings

1	GM Seirawan, Yasser	2.5	2643	- GM Onischuk, Alexander	4.0	2660
2	GM Kaidanov, Gregory S	3.0	2594	- GM Robson, Ray	3.0	2614
3	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	3.5	2625	- GM Ramirez, Alejandro	2.5	2593
4	GM Shulman, Yuri	4.0	2571	- GM Hess, Robert L	2.5	2635
5	GM Stripunsky, Alexander	3.0	2562	- GM Nakamura, Hikaru	5.0	2775
6	GM Lenderman, Aleksandr	4.0	2587	- GM Kamsky, Gata	5.0	2741

Finals standings by the order of performance

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2770	5½
2.	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2723	5
3.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2693	4
4.	Grandelius, Nils	g	SWE	2556	4
5.	Li, Chao	g	CHN	2703	3
6.	Tikkanen, Hans	g	SWE	2566	2½
7.	Hector, Jonny	g	SWE	2560	2
8.	Berg, Emanuel	g	SWE	2587	2

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

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Zatonskih, Kamsky Draw Even with Leaders in U.S. Champs
Article by FM Mike Klein

Dramatic finishes punctuated an unpredictable day at the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship. When the final pawn was captured, a 101-move game ended in king versus king. In both events a pair of trailing players caught up to the leaders.

IM Anna Zatonskih got the better of WIM Iryna Zenyuk in a bishop-and-pawn endgame. With weaknesses on both sides of the board, Zatonskih had no trouble infiltrating and clearing a path for her pawns.

Entering the day behind by one-half point, the win nearly gave Zatonskih sole possession of the lead, as tournament leader IM Irina Krush got all she could handle from IM Rusudan Goletiani. In an atypical affair where Krush’s king voluntarily moved to f1 and Goletiani’s knights occupied f8 and h8, both players thought they were better. “Once the knights come out, my advantage is not permanent,” Krush said.

Krush was caught off guard by the sacrifice 35…Nxf3. Afterward, she expected the immediate material equalization 36…e4, but instead the initiative-minded Goletiani preferred to step up the pressure by making a battery on the f-file. Krush survived the onslaught largely by ignoring it. Her counterattack was just enough to force a repetition of position.

The top two rated women will face off tomorrow. In what has become their usual yearly battle, they enter the game tied for first with 4.5/6. Neither woman has lost a game. “Good thing I didn’t ruin everything today,” Krush said. “It was sharp; anything could have happened.”

The story repeated in the U.S. Championship, where tournament front-runner GM Hikaru Nakamura tried everything he could but could only draw against GM Yury Shulman. This allowed defending champion GM Gata Kamsky to catch up, as he was able to overcome the blockade of GM Alex Stripunsky.

Nakamura and Shulman played the longest game of the tournament. After five and a half hours and 101 moves, they were down to just their kings. After fruitlessly trying for more than 60 moves to win with an extra kingside pawn, Nakamura looked across the room for much of the final moves, seemingly chastising himself for missed opportunities.

Shulman guessed that he was unhappy the minor pieces were allowed to be traded after 77…Be6+. Thanks to the zwischenzug 78…Re5+, Shulman entered an easily drawing rook-and-pawn endgame. Still, he insisted that the ending is drawn even without the “petite combinaison.” Nakamura has still never defeated Shulman in a tournament game.

Shulman’s staunch defense, coupled with the tenacity of Kamsky to find a way to clear the path for his hanging pawns, means Nakamura and Kamsky are now equal first with 5/7. They will not meet until Friday’s penultimate round ten.

Stripunsky and Kamsky had drawn many previous games, but today Kamsky won for the first time ever in classical chess, though he had won a rapid game in 2006. After a lot of circular movement, Kamsky made the time control and got his c- and d-pawns moving. In the final position, he had promoted a second queen, with one more on the way.

The most entertaining game of the day was unequivocally GM Alejandro Ramirez against GM Gregory Kaidanov. After a stunning victory, Ramirez was still trying to collect himself and figure out what happened. “This game was crazy,” he said. With arrows and variations strewn haphazardly all over the computer screen in the commentary room, Ramirez offered what he knew about the game, and what he was still sorting out. “I was just trying to get to the time control alive,” he said. “This was psychologically very difficult for me because I went from winning to really struggling. We had like two minutes left. We didn’t know what we were doing.”

With both kings in danger, the underdeveloped Kaidanov found the subtle defense of retreating his one developed piece on move 32. “…Rg8! Wow! That was quite a move,” Ramirez said. The point was that the rook on a8 cannot be captured due to 33…Qe3+ 34. Kh1 (34. Rf2 Rf8) 34…Qg3 35. Rg1 (35. Bh3 Rxa8) 35…Qxh4#. In all variations, the wandering white queen is suddenly out of bounds.

But after the time scramble resourcefulness, Kaidanov placed his king on the light square e4 and fell victim to an advancing a-pawn. Scrambling to get his rook back again, this time he was met with a skewer on the long diagonal. Ramirez was shocked at the turn of events, which saw him go from groveling for a draw to simply winning. After starting with two wins and two draws and sharing the early lead, Kaidanov has lost his last three.

Chasing Kamsky and Nakamura with 4/7 are Shulman and GMs Alex Lenderman and Alex Onischuk, who also drew today. Onischuk received one of the biggest surprises of the tournament when his former student, GM Ray Robson, uncorked the implausible Belgrade Gambit. Onischuk played the only move he knew against it, 5…Be7. He admitted that his theoretical knowledge ended there, as his position was super solid. “The position was equal all the time, but he still tried to torture me,” Onischuk said. Asked if he would now learn more about the opening, he continued, “If I play against some 2300-player, I’ll have to come up with something else.”

Lenderman kept his unbeaten streak alive by holding the draw in mixed battle against GM Yasser Seirawan. “It was one of the strangest games I ever played,” Lenderman said. “It was unclear all the time. I thought I was better with initiative or attack, but after a turn of events, I was in a precarious endgame. But then without an obvious mistake from him, I was playing for a win.”

Seirawan guessed that he should have made better use of his kingside pawn phalanx. After losing his first three games, Seirawan, a four-time champion, has now won 2.5 out of his last four.

GM Varuzhan Akobian again jettisoned his favorite French Defense but used the Caro-Kann to eventually win a knight-and-pawn ending against GM Robert Hess.

FM Alisa Melekhina won her second game in a row to earn a plus score. She sits on 3.5/6 after winning against the luckless WGM Camilla Baginskaite. Melekhina already has more than twice the number of points she earned in seven rounds last year. “I didn’t expect Alisa to play so aggressively with such theoretical stuff,” Baginskaite said afterward.

Melekhina repeated her Moscow System that she previously used against Krush, but this time she offered her two center pawns to open the game quickly. “I’m not sure it’s objectively the best thing to do, but practically it is,” Melekhina said of her bellicosity. The fork 24. Qf3 pressured her opponent sufficiently to make a catastrophic error, dropping a knight. “I didn’t want to get so hopeful because the other day against Alena Kats I was up the exchange and four pawns and she fought back so hard.”

In other women’s games, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan bravely walked her king up the board in beating WGM Sabina Foisor. WIM Viktorija Ni got back to an even score by using her extra rook to eventually overpower WFM Alena Kats’s bishop.

Against all odds
Israeli Boris Gelfand still holding his own against favored champ.
By Eli Shvidler | May.16, 2012 | 6:13 AM

"Four to one odds? I'd put my money on Gelfand in a split second," said British chess grandmaster and coach Nigel Short of Israeli grandmaster Boris Gelfand.

And Short, himself a former competitor for the world title against the legendary Garry Kasparov, is not alone. While the bookies favor incumbent world champion Viswanathan Anand of India, Short's opinion seems to be the prevailing one in the press room of the World Chess Championship in Moscow.

With a third of the match over - four games so far - Gelfand has won the admiration of his fellow players and of his opponent. It is clear that Gelfand has not only done his homework, but that he is determined as well. He does not play like an underdog, as might be expected. Including Tuesday, he has drawn four times - twice playing black.

"Four draws. The match is just developing. We are just probing each other," Anand said at a press conference after the game.

Anand is one of the most brilliant people ever to master the game of chess, and every player at the world-class level, including all the past world champions - Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov among them - has felt the power of his game.

But Gelfand is holding his own. He surprised his opponent in the first game, winning himself a preferred spot. The game ended in a draw only because time ran out. In the second game, Anand had to be extremely precise in order to avoid giving Gelfand an opening. That game also ended in a draw. In Game 3, Gelfand's opponent was pressed for time - itself a rare occurrence - and couldn't find a way to win, thanks to an innovation by Gelfand that made the Tiger of Madras sink deeply into thought.

Tuesday's game started as a repeat of Game 2 with a Slav defense, until Gelfand deviated, leading to a flurry of exchanges. Gelfand had a slight advantage but did not risk stretching himself too far. He tried advancing his bishop but Anand correctly countered.

After four draws, the two seem to be evenly matched, regardless of who is labeled underdog or defending champion.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com

Irene to make history after Asian victory
Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 05/16/2012 11:39 AM

Indonesian Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Irene Kharisma Sukandar will become the first Indonesian woman to take part in the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2015 after triumphing at the Asian Continental Chess Championship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam over the weekend.

“Irene attending the women’s world championship is history for Indonesia, because we’ve never had a representative,” Indonesian Chess Association (PERCASI) spokeswoman Urry Kartopati told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, referring to the World Chess Federation (FIDE) - sanctioned championship, the location of which has not yet been decided.

Irene (Elo rating 2288) managed to beat Indian WGM Eesha Karavade (2353) in the final round to collect the winning seven points, while closest rival, Indian WGM Mary Ann Gomez (2378), recorded 6.5 points after being defeated by China’s WGM Tan Zhongyi (2430).

“Actually, we were quite confident that Irene could really nail the victory when she was leading with 5.5 points in round six,” said Urry. The second-ranked contender was WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An (2301).

In round eight, however, Irene lost the No. 1 spot to Gomez.

“When she eventually knocked out Eesha, while Mary Ann lost to Zhongyi, Irene secured the winning seven points in the final round, which is her first triumph in 2012,” Urry said of the event, which applied a Swiss nine-round competition format.

Irene becomes the third Indonesian to reach a world-level chess tournament, following GM Utut Adianto (five times) and GM Susanto Megaranto (two times) in FIDE’s World Chess Championship.

PERCASI sport development deputy Rikardo said that Irene’s achievement showed significant progress after an unsatisfying performance during the past year.

“Irene was a bit off. Maybe because she did not find a challenge who could motivate her to be better,” Rikardo told the Post.

Irene only took a bronze medal in the women’s standard chess in the 27th SEA Games in November last year, while she was expected to perform better. “After the SEA Games, we decided to apply a promotion-degradation system, which pushes each athlete to win every tournament and avoid deterioration.

Irene, along with rising stars WFM Medina Warda Aulia and WIM Chelsie Monica Sihite, are currently participating in the Asian Nations Cup in Zao Zhuang, China, until May 26.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

GAME 4 AT THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ENDS IN A DRAW

The opponents continued their Slav Defence duel that started in the second game of the match. White was the first to deviate from the previous game and managed to get the so-called two-bishop advantage in the middlegame. After a series of exchanges, the game transformed into an ending with somewhat better chances for White. In the resulting technical position, the game could have had either of two results: a draw or a victory for White. It turned out, however, that the white pieces were not sufficiently well coordinated and that the bishop’s advantage over the knight was not enough for a win: with precise play, Viswanathan Anand built a “fortress” and deflected all threats. A draw on the 34th move.

During the press conference, Boris Gelfand noted that there were no critical moments in the game as such, but the question was whether White would manage to gain an advantage or Black would find a clear way to equalise. “Even though I got the two-bishop advantage, the coordination between the pieces was not very good, so Black did not have any major problems.” The opponents considered the possibility of going into a knight against bishop endgame after 32. Rc6, but concluded that the white king lacked the tempo to occupy square d4, so White’s chances in this variation were also minimal.

The challenger showed the position after 18…h6, which produced a great aesthetic impression on him. At that moment, each square on the d-file was occupied by black and white pieces, Black’s rooks were on squares c8 and e8, and the whole array resembled a T-shaped figure that is rarely seen on a chessboard.

Assessing the situation in the match after the first four games, the world champion said the match was just developing and the rivals were still trying each other out. “You don’t really want to start doing evaluations, but so far it’s a pretty tough match,” commented Viswanathan Anand. Boris Gelfand refused to give any assessment of individual parts of the match and stressed that any analysis was pointless until after the 12th game.

Asked by a journalist what scenario the players would have preferred during the game and if something had gone wrong at some point, Gelfand answered jokingly: “Well, of course I would have loved my opponent to choose some doubtful variation that I know well. Then I would have used a strong novelty and won the game, say, by the 20th move. I would be too naïve to count on that, however, so of course one has to be ready for any course of events.”

The match score is equal: 2-2. May 16 is a rest day for the opponents, with the fifth game to be played out on 17 May. The world champion will play with white pieces.

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between the world champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and the challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel) will take place from 10 to 31 May 2012 in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Chess championship match will be taking place in one of the world’s biggest museums for the first time.

Organisers of the match are FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and the RCF (the Russian Chess Federation). Initiator of the idea of holding the match in Moscow and its sponsor is the Russian entrepreneur Andrei Filatov (joint owner of the N-Trans Group). Other sponsors of the contest include businessman Gennady Timchenko and the Ladoga charitable foundation, and also the NVisionGroup, Novatek and Almaz-Antei companies.

Contact information for journalists:
Mark Glukhovsky
Press Attaché for the Russian Chess Federation
at the World Championship Match

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GM So grabs gold in Asian blitz chess
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 05/15/2012 5:09 PM | Updated as of 05/16/2012 9:37 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So lived up to his billing as Asia's No. 1 blitz chess player after winning the 11th Asian Continental Individual Chess Championships Blitz competition over the weekend in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

He went undefeated en route to another successful victory in the Blitz competition.

The Philippines’ top rated GM scored 6 wins and 3 draws with a total of 7.5 points against seven GMs and two International masters (IMs) to clinch first place.

GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and IM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam and GM Ding Liren of China finished second to fourth placers with 7.0 points each.

Other Filipino woodpushers who participated in the Blitz chess competition of the Asian chess meet are:

• GM Mark Paragua (6.0 pts., 10th place)
• GM Oliver Barbosa (5.5 pts., 22nd place)
• GM John Paul Gomez (5.0 pts., 29th place)
• GM Darwin Laylo (4.5 pts., 35th place)
• GM Eugene Torre (4.5 pts., 37th place)
• IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia (4.0 pts., 40th place)

"Blitz is a very exciting form of chess, with every player getting a mere 5 minutes to complete the game. This somehow leveled the playing field, resulting in a high rate of upsets," said former Olympian GM Jayson Gonzales, Executive Director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). – By Marlon Bernardino

Source:http://www.abs-cbnnews.com

Heart of Finland 2012
May 15, 2012
Article by Anna Rudolf

For the 22nd time in a row the town of Jyväskylä organises the most important chess tournament of its country, the Heart of Finland Open.

From 9th to 15 July more than 150 players are expected to be competing for title of the champion, the category prizes, rating points, and simply for the joy of playing chess.

The dates coincide with the town’s Summer Festival, a rich cultural week with theatre and music performances on the streets of Jyväskylä – a pleasant spare time programme for the participants.

Besides the Summer Festival, an evening cruise is organised for the players on the Lake Päijänne – an excursion which, the author of this article can highly recommend!

For more information on the tournament please contact the organisers from the official website.

15 titled players (8 grandmasters!) have already confirmed their participation! Will GM Yrjö Rantanen be able to defend his title?

Photo courtesy of the Heart of Finland organisers, Chessdom and Anna Rudolf.

Anand, Gelfand play fourth draw in a row in World Chess Championship
Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN | May 15, 2012, 08.47PM IST

CHENNAI: Four games and four draws. The World Chess Championship contest is developing into an intriguing struggle. The fourth game, drawn after 34 moves, looked like a draw right from the opening but challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel tried to infuse life into it when the game seemed to have reached a dead end.

For World champion Viswanathan Anand, the draw with black on Tuesday was a welcome result as the 12-game series at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow is nicely poised at two-all and he will have white in the fifth game on Wednesday after a day's rest.

"Four draws. The match is just developing. We are just probing each other," Anand said at a press conference after the game.

The players almost copied their second game (Slav Defence) till move 10 when Gelfand deviated. But four moves later the action in the centre got intense, leading to a flurry of exchanges. "This game won't be exciting. The pawns in the centre have been exchanged and this won't be like the third game, even if it ends in a draw," commented Jan Timman, challenger to Anatoly Karpov in the 1993 WCC match.

However, Gelfand gave the impression that he had something up his sleeve. After Anand's rook move, the Israeli buried his head in his hands and paused for almost 10 minutes. Former World women's champion Zsuzsa Polgar found Gelfand's response unusual and posted on twitter. "It would be interesting to know what's on Gelfand's mind. Forgot his preparation? Trying to fake Anand out? Why is he taking a lot of time?" Anand gave his bishop for the knight and in the process conceded the bisop pair to his rival.

The Israeli kept a tiny edge and at the same time he did not push for a win because the advantage was insignificant and he did not want to stretch the position.

Yet, Gelfand tried to make some headway with his bishop in the open position but Anand found the correct move to stop him. "Optically, white is better in that position but my pieces are not well coordinated," said Gelfand.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

q7/5pk1/6r1/P1p2p1p/1P1brP2/3Q2RP/1PR1p1P1/4B2K b - - 0 1

Black to move. How should Black proceed?

Standings with 1 round to go:

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2770	*	½	1	½	1	½	.	1	4½
2.	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2723	½	*	½	.	½	1	½	1	4
3.	Grandelius, Nils	g	SWE	2556	0	½	*	½	½	1	1	.	3½
4-5.	Li, Chao	g	CHN	2703	½	.	½	*	½	½	1	0	3
4-5.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2693	0	½	½	½	*	.	½	1	3
6-8.	Berg, Emanuel	g	SWE	2587	½	0	0	½	.	*	1	0	2
6-8.	Hector, Jonny	g	SWE	2560	.	½	0	0	½	0	*	1	2
6-8.	Tikkanen, Hans	g	SWE	2566	0	0	.	1	0	1	0	*	2

Final standings

1.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2764	6½
2.	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	g	RUS	2716	5½
3.	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2725	5½
4.	Potkin, Vladimir	g	RUS	2642	4½
5.	Quesada Perez, Yuniesky	g	CUB	2625	4
6.	Laznicka, Viktor	g	CZE	2693	4

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International Conference: Chess and Mathematics – Learning by Playing

Turin (Italy), 28 May 2012

Teaching chess at school may significantly improve pupils’ mathematics learning abilities, according to a study by INVALSI (the Italian National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System) conducted as part of a controlled research project involving some 2,000 8-and 9-year-old children attending a sample of primary schools throughout Italy.

The SAM research project investigating the effects of learning to play chess on maths skills, developed by academic staff members Gianluca Argentin (Milan-Bicocca University), Alberto Martini (University of East Piedmont) and Barbara Romano (University of Pennsylvania), is the most recent in a series of studies on the potential advantages of chess in education promoted and conducted by the Piedmont Regional Committee of the Italian Chess Federation, presided over by Dr. Roberto Rivello, funded by Piedmont Regional Council and Compagnia di San Paolo.

Their findings have now been brought together and published by Prof. Roberto Trinchero from the University of Turin and will be the subject of a conference on 28 May 2012 at the Piedmont Region’s “Centro Incontri” congress centre in Turin.

The conference, which is open to the public, will mainly address primary and secondary-school teachers and will also discuss the possible implications of the European Parliament’s recent declaration on the introduction of the “Chess in School” programme in the educational systems of the European Union.

Chess has been part of the curriculum in schools in Piedmont for some time now. Initially only implemented in the city of Turin, under an initiative pioneered by the renowned Turin Chess Club, the project was subsequently extended to the rest of the region as a positive consequence of the Chess Olympiad 2006 held in Turin.

Each year approximately 20,000 state school pupils aged between 6 and 19 from more than 1,000 classes at 300 schools are included in the programme and Federation instructors provide a total of 12,000 hours of lessons during school hours.

Lessons are based on teaching protocols issued by the Piedmont Regional Committee of the Italian Chess Federation which, coordinated by Alessandro Dominici and working closely in partnership with the competent bodies of the Italian Chess Federation and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), has also organised numerous training courses for instructors and teachers at state schools, awarding diplomas to 380 new Federation instructors and teachers. The figures are encouraging, but we still have a long way to go.

Representatives from the most important organisations around the world involved in teaching chess at school will take part in the conference, also via video-conference.

It will be broadcast live on internet, with simultaneous translation into English. This event has been conceived as the natural continuation of the International conference “Chess: a game to grow up with” that was held in Turin in 2009, during which speakers from four continents discussed the advantages and positive effects of the various initiatives and methods of teaching chess at school.

For full details please visit www.piemontescacchi.org

Albena Open 2012

The International Open Chess Tournament Albena 2012 will take place from 26th May to 3rd June at the Albena Sports Hall, in Albena, Bulgaria.

The 9-round Swiss open is organized by the Bulgarian Chess Federation, Chess Club “Dobrich – Albena” and Albena JSCo.

Albena is one of the most popular resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea.

It is located 11 km south of Balchik and 30 km north of Varna – the sea capital of Bulgaria. Albena holds a “Blue Flag” certificate for its ecologically clean sea, beach and area. The soft sandy beach of Albena is more than 3.5 km long and up to 150 m wide.

The resort is located close to Baltata national reserve, thus providing a unique combination of forest and sea. Albena offers something for everyone due to its variety of attractions, water sports and recreational activities.

The average summer temperature is 28°С, and the average temperature of the crystal clear sea is 25°С.

The prize fund amounts to 40.000 EUR. For prizes distribution visit the official website.

Chess Evolution Maxi Bundle – all editions together at 50% ONLY today!

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The books by Chess Evolution come out every 2 months and include 400 pages of quality chess research, analysis, novelties, endgames, and lot’s of chess fun.

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For more packages visit the Chessdom Chess Shop.

Chess Evolution is the brand that encapsules the highest rated authors on the chess books market. The team is headed by GM Arkadij Naiditsch, permanent member of the 2700 club, while article and contributions are by GM Etienne Bacrot, GM Sebastien Maze, GM Kamil Miton, GM Borki Predojevic, GM Ivan Sokolov, GM Baadur Jobava, etc.

The books by Chess Evolution come out every 2 months and include 400 pages of quality chess research, analysis, novelties, endgames, and lot’s of chess fun.

With the Chess Evolution Maxi Bundle you receive ALL six editions printed so far – March 2011, May 2011, July 2011, September 2011, November 2011, and January 2011 – all for a super discount of 50% and free shipping!

White to move. How should white proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net

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Gelfand-Anand g4: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. b3 Bb4 Another a6 Slav. LIVE commentary on www.twitter.com/susanpolgar or www.facebook.com/polgarchess.

7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bd6 10. Qc2 e5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. e4 exd4 13. Nxd5
Nxd5 14. exd5 Nf6 15. h3 This is a rare move. Krush played it 7 years ago. Both players are cranking out moves at a very fast pace.

15...Bd7 16. Rd1 Re8 Black has a comfortable position. White's advantage is minimal and without risk.

I am not sure why Gelfand is thinking quite a bit after 16...Re8. Perhaps he's pretending to be out of book then uncork novelty? :)

Very interesting. After thinking for a long time, Anand played 17. Nxd4 and Anand responded immediately with 17...Rc8.

18. Qb1 h6 We are still in Opening Book so far. Safe game for both sides.

I expect 19. Nf5. Black will capture the Knight with the Bishop. Gelfand will have minimal advantage with the Bishop pair.

It would be interesting to know what's in Gelfand's mind now. Did he forget his preparation? Is he trying to fake Anand out? What's going on? Why is he taking a lot of time?

19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. Bxf5 Rc5 21. Rfe1 White is playing for 2 results with virtually no risk.

21...Rxd5 This is heading toward another relatively quick draw. Very little chance for white to make any impact.

22. Bc3 After 22...Be5 White has very little.

22...Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bc5 =

24. Qc2 Black can simply play 24...Bd4. Again, White has nothing. This game is headed for a draw soon.

24...Bd4 The game is equal. 25. Bxd4 Rxd4 26. Qc8 g6 27. Bg4 h5 28. Qxd8+ Rxd8 = I expect them to shake hands soon.

The only logical move for White is 29. Bf3 b6 The question is why are they playing this out?

30. Rc1 Rd6 31. Kf1 a5 32. Ke2 I guess Gelfand is going for the win. Unlikely to happen but it seems that he's trying.

32...Nd5 33. g3 Ne7 34. Be4 Kg7 1/2

GAME 3 AT THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ENDS IN A DRAW. BORIS GELFAND ESCAPES DEFEAT.

The third game in the FIDE World Chess Championship match was played on 14 May in the Engineering Building at the State Tretyakov Gallery.

The contestants played a fairly rare and at the same time incisive variation of the Grünfeld Defence with opposite-side castling. It became obvious that this opening, which had effectively never been seen before in the Israeli grandmaster’s play, had been specially prepared for this match. Unlike the first game, Vishy Anand was ready for it and tried to refute Black’s formation with subtle play.

In the 14th move Boris Gelfand sacrificed a pawn in order to mobilise his pieces. It seemed that Black was entitled to count on seizing the initiative, but Viswanathan Anand managed to rebuff all his opponent’s threats with some precise moves and got some serious chances to win. In the 32nd move the chess players moved to a heavy piece ending in which White’s extra passed pawn was very dangerous. However, as the time control grew closer, in the 34th–35th moves the world champion played inaccurately, after which both of Black’s rooks penetrated to the second rank, and Gelfand was able to declare a perpetual check. The result of this tense game was a draw on the 37th move. The score for the match was again level – 1.5-1.5. The fourth game in the match will be played today, 15 May, with the challenger playing White.

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between the world champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and the challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel) will take place from 10 to 31 May 2012 in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Chess championship match will be taking place in one of the world’s biggest museums for the first time.

Organisers of the match are FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and the RCF (the Russian Chess Federation). Initiator of the idea of holding the match in Moscow and its sponsor is the Russian entrepreneur Andrei Filatov (joint owner of the N-Trans Group). Other sponsors of the contest include businessman Gennady Timchenko and the Ladoga charitable foundation, and also the NVisionGroup, Novatek and Almaz-Antei companies.

Contact information for journalists:
Mark Glukhovsky
Press Attaché for the Russian Chess Federation
at the World Championship Match

THE SUSAN POLGAR FOUNDATION’S NATIONWIDE OPEN FOR GIRLS & BOYS (K-12)
A Fantastic Tournament in a Great Location!

http://www.cajunchess.com/tourns/tournament20.shtml

June 1 – 3, 2012
(Friday – Sunday *** SAVE THE DATES!!)

Holiday Inn Downtown Superdome
330 Loyola Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70112

The Holiday Inn Downtown-Superdome is located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, just 3 blocks from the French Quarter. Hotel features include: free shuttle, restaurant, pool, and more!

UP TO $100,000 IN PRIZES – SCHOLARSHIPS TO TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

MAIN EVENT: Team & Individual - 6-Round Swiss System

SIDE EVENTS: Bughouse – Blitz – Puzzle Solving – Polgar Simul – Aquatic Simul

$99 Hotel Room Rate

* Top 3 player scores count toward team result

* School or club team trophies awarded in each section

* Special Camp with Susan Polgar

* Breakfast With Susan Polgar (Q & A Session)

Team & Individual Competition

---

• Open Championship Details (for Main Event and Side Events)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Open Championship (6SS, G/45)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for GM Susan Polgar Chess Camp
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Chess Puzzle Solving Championship
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Bughouse Championship
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for Blitz Championship (7SS, G/5)
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for ADULT Breakfast at Brennan's with GM Susan Polgar
  
  
• Secure On-line Registration/Entry for CHILD Breakfast at Brennan's with GM Susan Polgar

If you will be in New Orleans long enough to experience some of the wonderful culture that the city has to offer, may we suggest some of the following tours:

Louisiana Swamp Tour: Weave through the back bayous of the Honey Island Swamp on a small 20- passenger boat and visit an authentic Cajun Village accessible only by boat . . . and then pass through the alligator area where the gators come right alongside the boat for feeding time!

Steamboat Natchez Cruise: Cruise the Mississippi River on a paddlewheeler from the port of New Orleans to the Audubon Zoo and see the city skyline from the best view possible . . . the River View!

Oak Alley or Laura Plantation Tour: Go back to the glory of the old South as you walk through one of these plantation homes, rich in Creole Louisiana's storied past!

Other tours you may enjoy: French Quarter Walking Tour, Garden District Walking Tour, Cemetery Walking Tour (visit St. Louis Cemetery #1 and see the gravesites of Paul Morphy - World Chess Champion in the mid-1850s - and Marie Laveau (the infamous Voo-Doo Queen of New Orleans); visit Mardi Gras World (where Mardi Gras floats are built and Carnival comes alive!).

Other Interesting Places to Visit and Things to Do Around Town:

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Insectarium, national World War II Museum, Louisiana Children's Museum, Audubon Park & Zoo, take a ferry boat ride across the Mississippi River, and take a street car ride up St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District to see all of the mansions along the Avenue.

A MUST FOR EVERY TOURIST:

Take a walk down to Decatur St. by the River in the French Quarter and see Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the French Quarter, and be absolutely sure that you get a chance to have some Cafe au Lait (Cafe O-lay) and Beignets (ben-yeh's) - also known as Coffee & Doughnuts - at the famous Cafe du Monde across from Jackson Square! This will be an experience you will not soon forget! If you have time you can also take a Horse & Carriage ride through the streets of New Orleans with a driver who is an experienced tour guide.

But, whatever you do in New Orleans, make sure you HAVE FUN ! ! ! !

http://www.cajunchess.com/tourns/tournament20.shtml

Part 1


Part 2

Negi youngest to win Asian Chess Championship
New Delhi, May 14 ,2012, (IANS) :

India's newly-crowned Asian chess champion Primarjan Negi has become the youngest to win the continental title.

The 19-year-old Negi, who won the Asian title in the Vietnamese capital Ho Chi Minh City Sunday, will now represent Asia in the World Cup series of events of FIDE from where players advance to the World Championship cycle.

Negi is also the third Indian afer Krishnan Sasikaran (2003), Surya Sekhar Ganguly (2009) and Pendyala Harikishna (2011) to win the Asian title.

During the Asian Championship, Negi led most of the while. He lost two games, rounds two and nine. He drew the final round but was declared champion on tie-break.

Negi has smoothly moved into higher gear and is now reaching new and higher peaks. His current rating is 2640 and would be settling above the 2650-mark soon. That is an important number since he will walk into any Indian team if he is above that rating mark.

Negi has won a number of events and in 2010 was the Indian national champion. He won major events like the Philadelphia International in 2008 and the Politiken Cup in Copenhagen in 2009.

Negi's achievements came when he was young. At 13 years, 4 months and 22 days, he became the second youngest Grand Master ever after Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine.

Negi remains a feared Grand Master around the world for his deep preparation and research in the opening phase.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com

Gelfand thwarts Anand with a high-risk response
MOSCOW, May 15, 2012
Ian Rogers

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

The third game of the World Chess Championship in Moscow ended in a draw after a dramatic battle which ended only after 37 moves and four hours play.

Anand, playing with the first move, tried to take Gelfand by surprise with a rare third move designed to neutralise Gelfand's favourite Grunfeld Defence.

By move 12 it seemed that Anand would be launching a serious attack, as he sought to open up a file near Gelfand's king.

Superbly prepared

However, Gelfand had come superbly prepared and averaged just 35 seconds for each of his first 15 moves.

The Israeli challenger chose a reply which was reputed to lead to trouble for Black, and Anand began burning up time trying to work out why Gelfand was playing such a supposedly dubious line so quickly and confidently.

Finally, Anand decided to hide his king in the corner, away from Gelfand's attack, but the Israeli responded with his new idea — a pawn sacrifice to blow open a new diagonal towards Anand's king.

Despite falling well behind on the clock, Anand stayed calm, avoided many snares and liquidated to an endgame where his extra pawn counterbalanced Gelfand's continuing initiative.

“It is very complicated,” said Anand. “Black is trying to find compensation for his sacrificed pawn and White is trying to hold onto this pawn.”

On the 24th move Gelfand missed a clear method of balancing the game, and the Indian world champion gradually took control.

“I would have played the idea had I seen it,” admitted Gelfand.

“I was trying to take the pawn and equalise but I underestimated a few of his moves.”

The main danger for Anand in attempting to shepherd his extra pawn to victory was that he had only 10 minutes left for the final 10 moves of the time control.

On the 34th move disaster struck. Anand spent three minutes on his move but just as his hand left the piece he noticed a far more effective idea which would have won the game.

“I was just too late to see the [follow-up] 35.Rc4, which is winning,” said a clearly frustrated Anand.

He then rattled off a seven-move variation, leading to a position where he gained a new queen.

A relieved Gelfand took full advantage of his chance and invaded with his rooks, ending all danger.

Before playing his 38th move, Anand shrugged his shoulders and offered a draw, immediately accepted by Gelfand.

The draw leaves the score at 1.5-1.5 and is a significant psychological blow for the world champion, who threw everything into the game but was unable to apply the finishing touches and take the lead in the 12-game contest.

Nonetheless, a key member of the Anand camp remained upbeat saying: “Perhaps, it was a clearly winning position but the match is (now well and truly) on!”

Gelfand remained relaxed as usual, saying: “In principle, as many people know by now, I just play game by game.”

The fourth game will be played on Tuesday starting at 16.30 Indian time.

Ian Rogers is an Australian Grandmaster.

World Chess Championship 2012: Round 3 Update
Posted on May 14, 2012 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Strategy & Game Review, Tournament Updates

The 2012 World Chess Championship is taking place in Moscow, Russia on May 11-30 and features two of the best players in the game today: Defending World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and World Chess Championship Challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel). These two seasoned veterans in the chess elite are fighting it out for a prize fund of $2.5 million dollars (the winner will receive $1.5 million and the loser will receive $1 million). While Anand [...]

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Press release

RCF launches major children’s programme as part of the FIDE World Chess Championship Match

A special programme for young chess players begins on 14 May at the FIDE world chess championship title match. Two groups of children are arriving in Moscow from the Far East and the Siberian Federal District.

This programme has been developed by the Russian Chess Federation in conjunction with the State Tretyakov Gallery with support from the Ladoga charitable foundation. More than 200 talented children will visit Moscow over the coming days. The young chess players will get a unique opportunity to attend the match and to listen to talks by well known grandmasters and the best Russian mentors: coaches and members of Russian national teams and former world chess champions.

Famous chess players, including the twelfth world champion Anatoly Karpov, the thirteenth world champion Garry Kasparov and the World Chess Cup holder Peter Svidler, will hold master classes and analyse world championship games, and will also give several simultaneous chess displays. These displays will take place in the Chess Corner which has been set up for the duration of the world championship in the inner courtyard of the Engineering Building at the Tretyakov Gallery.

An interesting cultural programme has also been planned: talks by art experts and special tours of the State Tretyakov Gallery will be organised for each group of children.

The FIDE World Chess Championship match between the world champion Viswanathan Anand (India) and the challenger Boris Gelfand (Israel) will take place from 10 to 31 May 2012 in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery. Chess championship match will be taking place in one of the world’s biggest museums for the first time. Organisers of the match are FIDE (the World Chess Federation) and the RCF (the Russian Chess Federation). Initiator of the idea of holding the match in Moscow and its sponsor is the Russian entrepreneur Andrei Filatov (joint owner of the N-Trans Group). Other sponsors of the contest include businessman Gennady Timchenko and the Ladoga charitable foundation, and also the NVisionGroup, Novatek and Almaz-Antei companies.

Contact information for journalists:
Mark Glukhovsky
Press Attaché for the Russian Chess Federation
at the World Championship Match

White to move. How should White proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net

The 11th Asian Continental Individual Women’s Chess Championship was held on 4-14th May 2012 at The First Hotel in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

In a spectacular finish WGM Irine Kharisma Sukandar from Indonesia regained the top position and won the title of the Asian chess champion.

Kharisma Sukandar led the standings throughout the whole tournament but in the 8th round Indian champion WGM Mary Ann Gomes won the direct match and grabbed the first place.

In the last round Caissa smiled back at the Indonesian player. Women Universiade champion WGM Tan Zhongyi beat Gomes while Kharisma Sukandar defeated IM Eesha Karavade.

Thus Irene Kharisma Sukandar took the gold medal with 7/9 points (and + 50 elo points), Mary Ann Gomes won the silver and Tan Zhongyi claimed bronze (both with 6.5/9 and on tie-break).

Replay the games from the Championship.

The tournament was conducted as a Swiss System competition of 9 rounds. Draw offer was not allowed before 30th move.

Final standings:

1. WGM Sukandar Irine Kharisma INA 2288 – 7
2. WGM Gomes Mary Ann IND 2378 – 6.5
3. WGM Tan Zhongyi CHN 2430 – 6.5
4. WGM Ding Yixin CHN 2353 – 6.5
5. Wang Jue CHN 2364 – 6.5
6. GM Zhao Xue CHN 2549 – 6
7. WGM Le Thanh Tu VIE 2313 – 5.5
8. IM Karavade Eesha IND 2353 – 5.5
9. WGM Padmini Rout IND 2345 – 5.5
10. WGM Guo Qi CHN 2360 – 5.5
11. WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An VIE 2301 – 5
12. WIM Nakhbayeva Guliskhan KAZ 2309 – 5
13. IM Mohota Nisha IND 2321 – 5
14. WIM Yanjindulam Dulamsuren MGL 2214 – 5
15. IM Munguntuul Batkhuyag MGL 2451 – 5
16. WFM Zhai Mo CHN 2248 – 5
17. WGM Pham Le Thao Nguyen VIE 2390 – 5
18. IM Tania Sachdev IND 2417 – 5
19. Ni Shiqun CHN 2157 – 5
20. WGM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs MGL 2363 – 5
21. WFM Medina Warda Aulia INA 2172 – 5