Bologan,V (2666) - Karjakin,S (2661) [E15]
Aerosvit-2006 Foros (1), 17.06.2006

Black to Move

Black is a little worse here, but nothing too serious. After a solid 32...Rf8, the problem with the pin is solved. Instead Karjakin played...32...c3?? 33.Rxc3 Perhaps, the plan was to play 33...Rb1+ 34.Kg2 Bh3+ aiming at 35...Rxa8, but the Bf3 defends it and after 35.Kxh3 White is up a Bishop. Also, near miss is 33...Bh3, since after 34.Rxd8 Rb1+ 35.Rd1 the Bf3 defends the same rook but on a different square. So, with both counterstrikes failing, suddenly Black found himself not only losing a pawn, but also the pinned Bc8.

(6/25)  USCL Player Spotlight:  The USCL Player Spotlight falls this month on one of the strongest ever American players, GM Larry Christiansen, of the Boston Blitz.  A Southern California native who now resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his wife, Natasha. One of the greatest attacking players in the history of the United States, Larry was a star of the Bundesliga (a German league of chess teams) and was U.S. Champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002 (he won the title-ring in a playoff against Grandmaster Nick deFirmian).  A major figure in international chess for over two decades, Larry is also the author of several books on the game. His latest, Storming the Barricades, was published to universal acclaim in 2000.  In today's spotlight, GM Christiansen looks at his Round 3 (2005) smashing of IM-elect Lev Milman of the Carolina Cobras.

(6/25)  Review:  Win with the London System by Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovačević, reviewed by Rick Kennedy.  "I have always been intrigued by chess opening books with the words “win” or  “winning” in their titles.  I can imagine myself sitting down to a game with a buddy, confident with 1.e4 because I’ve ingested Winning with the Ruy Lopez.  Quick as a shot, though, in this reverie, he replies 1…c5, and I realize that he’s been visiting Winning with the Sicilian Dragon.  No problem. My latest study was Winning with the Smith-Morra Gambit, so I whip out 2.d4, and after 2…cd, I proceed with 3.c3.  My opponent smiles as he takes the pawn, 3…dxc, and I suddenly realize with a bit of chagrin that he’s been reading Beating the Anti-Sicilians…"

2006 World Championship Match Topalov-Kramnik
WHY THIS MATCH IS A TRAGEDY FOR CHESS

Politically, chess is a mess.  We do not have much good going for us politically, but we do have an extremely prestigious World Chess Championship (WCC) title with a history reaching back to the 1800's.

Now with this Kramnik-Topalov match, Kirsan in effect wants to end the historically gloried concept of a "Match" WCC title.  Kirsan Ilyumzhinov wants to replace it with a new kind of title, a less prestigious "Tournament" WCC title.  Topalov could have simply declined to go along with Kirsan's plan.  Topalov could have publicly pressured both Kirsan and Kramnik...

“I’m too sexy to wear a tie,” said the big man.

(6/25)  Bad Vlad: Fashion Attack at Turin!  by Robert T. Tuohey.  "At the 36^th Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy (heretofore notable only for its shroud), Vladimir Kramnik resorted not to his Berlin Wall but rather his clothes stall.  In an entirely new approach to chess strategy, non-sartorial Kramnik remarked he would, “Bore ’em, then floor ’em!”  And so he did..."

(6/18)  Annotated Game:  Topalov-Anand, XIX Magistral Ciudad de León (1).  Ciudad de Leon 2006 - Finals - Viswanathan Anand Wins!!!  2½ - 1½ over Vesselin Topalov; reported by GM Zenón Franco Ocampos, Press Chief.  OK, you've seen the photos and read the report of Anand's victory, now we bring you the games, with annotations.  Today's game is the first, a tense, unbalanced yet technical struggle, resulting in a 70-move draw.  Enjoy!

(6/18)  Recon64:  The Move-Prediction exercise from the creative genius of Prof. Chester Nuhmentz.  Click on the portrait of Garry Kasparov to try this month's Recon64 game selected especially for the readers of Chessville:  Garry Kasparov vs. Veselin Topalov; Wijk aan Zee, 1999.

A fantastic game. Garry was so moved as to crown this game as his finest accomplishment. Destined for the hall of fame. Which leaves me wondering how fleeting immortality truly is. After all, what would have happened had Topalov thumbed his nose and played 24...Kb6 declining the sacrifices?  - Yasser Seirawan

Similar to Predict-A-Move and Solitaire-type chess exercises, Recon64 challenges players to find candidate moves from games played by masters.  Players are encouraged to search for several strong candidate moves in each position, and are rewarded as long as their list of moves includes the move selected by the master during the game.  As an extra twist, players invest Recon64-dollars on candidate moves based on how likely they think each move was used in the original game...  Play Recon64!!

(6/17)  Review:  Play 1...b6 - A Dynamic and Hypermodern Opening System for Black by Christian Bauer, reviewed by S. Evan Kreider.  "Want an opening that has it all?   Something universal, playable against any of White’s first moves?  Something non-theoretical, not requiring any study or memorization?  Something that guarantees equality, if not an advantage?  Well, there’s no such thing.  However, in GM Bauer’s first book for Everyman, Play 1…b6, you might find something pretty close..."

(6/11)  Gruesome End for the Gruenfeld:  by IM Larry Kaufman.  "Now, at last, it seems that there is a weapon in White’s arsenal (4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bh4) that leaves Black struggling for equality.  In the [2006] Linares tournament, the world’s top rated Gruenfeld player, Peter Svidler, lost twice in this line, in both cases at least partly due to the opening.  Moreover, after losing a third Gruenfeld (to another line), he gave it up entirely for the rest of the event.  There have been other recent games with the line, but always it seems that White either won or at least had a path to some advantage.  The line is quite old, but it has only become popular again quite recently.  Let’s see why..."  Brought to you by...

IM Larry Kaufman

(6/10)  Ciudad de Leon 2006, Second Semi-Final - Topalov defeated Vallejo Pons 2½ - 1½ .  Reported by GM Zenón Franco Ocampos, Press Chief.  "The Ambassador of Bulgaria to Spain, Mr. Vassily Takev, who is very fond of chess, made the first move of this second semi-final. His countryman, World Champion Topalov, reached the final after defeating the Spaniard, Francisco Vallejo Pons, 2 ½ - 1 ½ . Topalov won the first game, in which Vallejo got a decent position, but after some inaccuracies on his part, Topalov won convincingly. In the press conference both players agreed that the second game was nearly decisive for the outcome of the match..."

The first 4 games finished in a draw, and in the tie-break Bruzón won the fifth game with a vigorous attack; a draw was enough to win the match but Anand won the sixth game, and after suffering a lot to achieve a draw in the seventh game, he won the last one to win 4 ½ - 3 ½.

(6/4)  Chess Visualization Training:  The latest chess training exercise from Prof. Chester Nuhmentz, aka Jim Mitch, Ph.D.  In this exercise, players try to imagine up to 10 moves being made from a starting diagram, with the goal of finding all the legal captures and checks that could be made in the envisioned position.  To begin the exercise, choose how many half-moves you want to try to look ahead each turn, and how much time you wish to allow yourself to find all the possible captures and checks. Then decide whether you want to use the default starting position (the one shown on the right) or begin in a different part of the game.

Sharpen your visualization
skills today - train your Chessvision!

Kasparov-Topalov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999

after 19...d5

This month's featured game became an instant classic in 1999 for its dazzling combinations.  The competitors are two of the finest chess players in the world, Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov.

(6/4)  Review:  The Sveshnikov Reloaded by Dorian Rogozenko, reviewed by S. Evan Kreider.  "It used to be that Sveshnikov Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5) was a good choice for the Black player looking to take up the open Sicilian while avoiding the reams of theory associated with the Najdorf, Scheveningen, or Dragon.  Even just a few years ago, the theory was still fairly undeveloped, and Black could get by playing on a general understanding of the plans and strategies of the opening and memorizing no more than a handful of lines.  Well, times have changed.  Nowadays the Sveshnikov is as densely theoretical as most openings, and nowhere else does this show as well as it does in GM Rogozenko’s The Sveshnikov Reloaded..."

(5/28)  Review:  How to Beat 1.d4 by James Rizzitano, reviewed by S. Evan Kreider.  "In my experience, most club players prefer king’s pawn openings to anything else.  I don’t have any hard statistics to back this up, but anecdotally speaking I’d say the majority of us play 1.e4 as White, and as Black we spend most of our time on our favorite defense to 1.e4, whether it be the French, the Sicilian, or whatever.  Other openings, we’d probably rather avoid.  Of course, we can avoid them as White, but as Black, we’re often faced with the problem of responding to non 1.e4 openings.  This book is designed to solve most of that problem, showing Black how to answer most anything that begins 1.d4, from the Queen’s Gambit to many of White’s secondary 1.d4 systems..."

(5/28)  Review:  50 Essential Chess Lessons by Steve Giddens, reviewed by Michael Jeffreys.  "I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I happened to see this book at Borders a month or two ago, and spent 10 minutes standing there reading it and quite liked it.  In fact, I just about went up to the cashier and purchased it.  However, I grudgingly forced myself to put it back on the shelf (no easy task), as I figured there was an off-chance I might get to review it.  I know, a rather petty move on my part, but given I have purchased several hundred dollars worth of poker books over the past few months, one simply has to draw the line somewhere!  Luckily, I did end up getting a review copy in, and so here we are..."

(5/28)  From Out of the Past and On Tour Again:    Jude Acers (did you guess correctly?) is back On Tour!  Read Michael Ciamarra's report on his latest appearance.  This photo demonstrates Jude's ongoing love for the game, and his unique ability to bring "chess to children" as no other master has ever done!

If you would like Jude Acers to visit your city, contact
artistmanagement_worldwide@yahoo.com.

(5/21)  NEWS AND PHOTOS FROM
THE TORINO CHESS OLYMPIADS!  From http://www.kosteniuk.com comes news and photos from the 2006 Chess Olympiad going on now in Torino, Italy.   Both men and women teams are covered, with photos of most teams and players.  Check back regularly for the most recent updates!

In the photo, from left to right: IM Tatiana Kosintseva (Elo 2489), IM Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (Elo 2460), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (Elo 2540), IM Nadezhda Kosintseva (Elo 2469).  The photo was taken at the training camp of the National team in Zvenigorod.

(5/21)  You can't miss it; or - can you?: by FM Amatzia Avni.  "Whenever I hear the words “you can’t miss it” I feel shivers in my spine. I recall the guy who sold me, years ago, a self-assembled book-cabinet with the assurance that the assembly tasks were very easy: “Piece of cake” - he said - “There is no way you can miss it”.  Or the bystander who explained to me how to reach my destination: “Third turn to the left, fourth turn to the right and after 300 meters you’ll see a building shaped as a cow - you can’t miss it”.  Well, you know what happened.  Nowadays I know that I can miss almost everything, and probably will.

Are there chess positions that we are certain to handle correctly and ‘can’t miss’?   In my book “Danger in Chess” (Cadogan 1994, Dover 2003) I tried to map the dangerous, most critical moments of a chess game.  I reckoned that “perhaps the most dangerous moment... is, paradoxically, just before victory is achieved.”  This conclusion has only strengthened in my mind during the years.  Let’s see some examples..."

(5/21)  Review:  Chess Explained: The Classical Sicilian by Alex Yermolinsky, reviewed by S. Evan Kreider.  "The Classical Sicilian is the first in the new Chess Explained series of opening books by Gambit Publications.  The series subtitle is “A new approach to understanding the chess openings.”  ...  Sounds revolutionary, eh?  However, upon opening the book, I found a collection of annotated games.  That’s it.  There’s nothing “new” about this.  In fact, it’s one of the most common approaches to opening instruction there is  ...  This disappointment alone almost made me give the book a poor review, but then I realized that it still might be a quality book..."

(5/21)  The Collected Works of Wilhelm Steinitz (CD) Edited by Sid Pickard, reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur.  "Who was the greatest player of all time?  In the last century arguments raged over the claims of Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine.  In modern times Fischer and Kasparov can lay claim to the same distinction.  Yet the fact remains that none of these great figures could rival the score of Steinitz in terms of chess career.  The First World Champion held the title and reigned over the chess world for 28 years..."

(5/7)  Annotated Game:  Ivanchuk Palace by GM Vassily Ivanchuk.  Today we bring you another example of the fantastic content available to you in The Chess Chronicle, the first Ever Semi-Monthly Online Chess e-zine!  In today's game, the World #10 turns his critical eye on the game Rublevsky-Dreev (B51- Sicilian Rossolimo) from the 2005 Russian Championship.

(5/7)  Recon64:  The Move-Prediction exercise from the creative genius of Prof. Chester Nuhmentz.  Click on the portrait of Judit Polgar to try this month's Recon64 game selected especially for the readers of Chessville: Judit Polgar vs. Alexy Shirov; Amsterdam, 1995.  Here's a 21-move miniature that showcases Judit Polgar's relentless, attacking style and brilliant command of tactics.

Similar to Predict-A-Move and Solitaire-type chess exercises, Recon64 challenges players to find candidate moves from games played by masters.  Players are encouraged to search for several strong candidate moves in each position, and are rewarded as long as their list of moves includes the move selected by the master during the game.  As an extra twist, players invest Recon64-dollars on candidate moves based on how likely they think each move was used in the original game...  Play Recon64!!

(5/7)  Review:  Play Stronger Chess by Examining Chess960 by Gene Milener, reviewed by Michael Jeffreys.  "Milener’s enthusiasm for chess960 is strong, and like the Pied Piper he won me over with his many persuasive arguments.  I have to tell you this was no easy task, as by nature I am a traditionalist, and tend to come from the school of, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”"

"Fischer feels ‘old chess’ has nothing left to contribute to chess in general.  I disagree, and I explain why in this book.  I like both chess960 and chess1, and both add their own kinds of desirable aspects to fundamental chess that the other cannot." - Gene Milener"

(4/30)  Susan Polgar On Chess:  Chessville welcomes 4-time World Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar, successful author, coach and five-time Chess Olympiad Champion.  Enjoy, and learn from, her latest column, written especially with the scholastic player, parent and coach in mind.  Each month GM Polgar will bring you an assortment of tactics, basic endgame positions, and questions (with answers, of course!) from parents and coaches.

The Chess House is a leading chess store providing quality chess sets and merchandise to chess enthusiasts, chess clubs, schools, and businesses, since 1972.

Today the Queen of Chess offers six different mates, demonstrating different mating patterns students should know.  All are mates in one to four moves.  Next are three basic endgame positions, teaching basics like the opposition, pawn breakthrough, etc.  She finishes up this month's column with five common questions from parents and coaches, asking about such things as blitz chess, opening advice, and internet play.  Check out Susan Polgar On Chess today!

(4/25)  USCL Player Spotlight:  The USCL Player Spotlight falls this month on the first GM from Central America, 17-year old Alejandro Ramirez.  At the young age of 15 (born 1988) not only was Alejandro Ramirez the highest rated player in his home country of Costa Rica, but he was the highest rated player in all of Central America (and he is also the first GM ever from Central America!)  His FIDE rating so far has reached a high of 2542.  We have a special treat as GM Alejandro Ramirez and IM John Donaldson have both annotated their wild game from last year's 2nd-round match-up between San Francisco and Dallas.  I want to thank both players for their fantastic annotations...

GM Amir Bagheri

(4/16)  Annotated Game: Steinitz - Von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895.  GM Amir Bagheri looks at one of Steinitz's greatest and most well-known games, from the famous Hastings tournament of 1895.  "Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900), was the first officially recognized World Champion of chess.  Born in Prague - Bohemia, he moved to Vienna to pursue his studies.  Honing his chess skills in Vienna coffee houses he soon drew notice as a feared attacking player ... In his later years, Steinitz became renowned for his emphasis on sound, positional fundamentals and was noted for "defending the indefensible".  His early years saw him playing in the slashing, take-no-prisoners style that characterized the mid-1800s.  This helped Steinitz develop his tactical and defensive skills.  The following game, played in the great 1895 Hastings tournament, is one of his best...."

(4/13)  Jude Acers - Back On Top!:  After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the chess world feared for the Bayou Bad Boy, Master Jude Acers.  Eventually he turned up in a Tennessee camp for those displaced by Katrina.  Now back in New Orleans, Jude is once again On Tour.  Michael Ciamarra and Alabama Scholastic Chess sponsored a Chess Lecture and 37-Board K-12 Simultaneous Exhibition at Books-A-Million, at Brookwood Village, Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, March 26, 2006.  We have plenty of photos, submitted by chess moms and dads attending the event!  It's nice to see Jude is Back On Top, with his 2006 World Tour.  Check out his latest lecture/simul photos today!

(4/9)  English-Weidenhagen Gambit: The latest in Clyde Nakamura's Search for Dragons and Mythical Chess Openings.  The English-Weidenhagen Gambit is characterized by the moves:  1.c4 Nf6 2.g4:

With 2.g4 White gambits the g-pawn for better control of the center, a space advantage, and better piece development.  This gambit is a part of the Gibbins-Weidenhagen (1.d4 Nf6 2.g4) family of gambits that also includes the Tuebingen Gambit (1.Nc3 Nf6 2.g4).  In my 1996 Chess Horizons article on the Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit I had said that the reason why the GWG was so dangerous is because it was in reality a king-pawn opening.  King pawn openings tend to have more tactics and are shorter in length because of the Black weakness at the f7 square.  Because the move 1.c4 had been played early in EWG, this gambit has both king pawn and queen pawn positions.  The key to playing the EWG is to play it strategically...