June 16th, 2002

Doctor Unclear's Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Realm/8655/ENGLISH/Main_ENG.htm

Cheating on Internet Chess Servers (ICS) by using a chess engine (Fritz, etc.) is the focus of this site.  Known as (C)heating, this abuse is estimated to occur in 5-9% of all ICS games.  Doctor Unclear has worked closely with the Internet Chess Club (ICC) to develop their (c)heating detection methods, and so brings a special perspective to the problem.  He provides the reader with some information to help protect themselves against (c)heating.  The best defense is knowledge!

Unfortunately, this site's one big drawback is the annoying GeoCities ads that appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page.  These are easily minimized however, and the content of the site makes putting up with the ads worth the effort.  The navigation system is outstanding, allowing the reader to quickly shift to any other part of the site.

The site has 14 major sections, including: General Introduction, What should I do if I believe member X abused me [or] cheated in games vs me? , How serious is the (C)heating problem on ICSes?, Naiveté and silence are the worst threats to all ICSes, (C)heaters don't care about you!, Truth fairness and justice on Internet Chess Servers.  There's also a section providing answers from the major ICSs to a series of questions about their (c)heating policies, as well as a look inside the mind of the (c)heater.  Part 1 gives tips on what to look for as possible indicators of (c)heating (odd time use, e.g.).

Overall, a very worthwhile site, especially if you play chess online.  Take the time to look around and become familiar with the content.  Arm yourself with knowledge, and help do your part to combat this all too prevalent problem.

June 23rd, 2002

ProfessorChess
http://www.professorchess.com

Jim Mitch has created both an entertaining, instructive website and a series of engaging training materials.  Writing under the pseudonym Professor Chester Nuhmentz (rhymes with "chess tournaments") Jr., these materials target the scholastic crowd (K-7).  Mitch started writing chess instructional material when he coached his kid's school chess team, and says both the site content and the commercially available training materials "...can help players to work on fundamental skills at an appropriate degree of difficulty. They're adaptable to many styles of chess instruction, and are flexible enough to use just about anytime, anywhere."

Major sections include the Chess Training Materials, Stories, Free Material, and Online Quizzes, among others.  I found the boards on the quiz page difficult to view, and the font used for the solutions too small, although the content is very age and skill level appropriate.

"Tales From the Diary of King Gustafson" uses a fanciful tale of knights, castles, and such, to tell a chess story.  The story illustrations include "maps of the battlefield" which actually are snippets of a chessboard.  Next installment due to be posted June 24th.

Free downloads include scoresheets (½-blank, for recording your game, ½ classic game, e.g. Zukertort-Anderssen Breslau 1865), a 1-page summary of chess tips, homework (tactical puzzles), and a set of Morphy games with quizzes about the moves.

June 30th, 2002

Goddesschess
http://www.goddesschess.com/

Judit Polgar.  Viji Subbaraman.  Alexandra Kosteniuk.  Georgieva Plachkinova.  Nana Ioseliani.  Dana Reizniece.  Viktorija Cmilyte.  Xie Jun.  Vera Menchik.  Zhu Chen.  Almira Skripchenko-Lautier.  Anna Zatonskih.  All women.  All chessplayers.  How many of these names did you recognize?  This site is all about Women in chess.

Some of the  major sections include: Chess Goddesses (tournament coverage of Polgar & others), Patronesses (profiles of various female chessplayers), Chess Stories, Poetry, Essays, and so on.  There is a ton of material on this site, which is well laid out and easy to navigate, although there is so much, it's a bit like touring the Smithsonian - you're never quite sure if you've seen it all.  There are a lot of interesting photos and graphics, old & new, so some of the pages can be a tad slow to load, but the minimal wait is worth it.  The "What's New" page does not list anything for 2002, but let's hope that is a temporary situation.

The original idea for this site grew out of a discussion group in 1998 which explored the question of whether chess is the Game of the Goddess.  There is research (bishops with breasts?) and theory presented here, including this assertion: "The Game is not one of war but one of Sensuality, Seduction, Fertility, Procreation, and Love."  Don't scoff so quickly; read and decide for yourself!

Jan Newton and her friends have assembled an excellent selection of material; there is something here that you did not know, something to entertain you, educate you, and inform you!  "The Weave" they continue to spin will draw you in and captivate you, and reward you for your time spent here.

July 7th, 2002

The Online Chess League:  Are you looking for a slow time control team tournament?  Are you unsatisfied with other online tourneys you have played in?  If you answered "YES!!" to both of those questions, then we have the tournament league for you!  The Online Chess League was founded by and for players like you: players who prefer slow time controls and healthy competition, and the chance to meet many great people.  If you're looking for a team, no problem! we'll find you a slot.  If you are already a member of a team, then sign up your team today!

Chessville is proud to introduce a whole new neighborhood: The Online Chess League (OCL).  OCL has been organizing online Team competitions for more than a year now, and our membership continues to grow. Teams are comprised of 4-6 players in three different sections: Open, Under-1800, and for the Summer 2002 tourney a new section, the Under-1400. Games are played primarily at ICC and FICS using a standard time control of 60 minutes with a 15-second per move increment.

The camaraderie of playing as part of a team is one of the greatest benefits of playing in the OCL. Getting together online with your teammates, analyzing each other's games, and helping each other prepare for upcoming matches can all be a part of the experience. In OCL you'll make new friends, learn about chess, and improve your game.  We're not finished transferring all of the OCL's history from it's former temporary site, but come visit what we do have, and register for the Summer 2002 tourney today!  Registration closes July 17th.

July 14th, 2002

GM Chess
http://www.gmchess.com/

GM Chess is the site of the 14th FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman and his associates at the St. Petersburg Grandmaster Chess School.  Other major contributors include GMs Gennady Nesis, Yuri Razuvaev, Peter Svidler, Konstantin Sakaev, Vladimir Epishin, Evgeny Solozhenkin, Konstantin Aseev, Sergei Ivanov, and others.

This site is primarily a venue for sales of services and products, including the interesting Chess Stars series.  Actual instructional and historical content is fairly limited, although there is a moderately sized download collection of games organized by players and by events.  There is a bulletin board service which hasn't been used since June 2001.

I get the impression that GM Chess was an ambitious project that ran out of steam.  Much of the site appears to lack depth, and except for the commercial aspects doesn't appear to be updated frequently.  The latest news posted there is the Wijk aan Zee tourney in January, 2002.  One redeeming feature is their use of Kelly's Quotes!

Perhaps the most appealing feature here is the GM Chess project St. Petersburg Chess Tours.  Imagine ten days of chess instruction from GMs and other renowned chess coaches, interspersed with blitz, active, and standard tournaments (get yourself a FIDE rating), lectures & simuls, and tours of one of the most beautiful cities in Russia.  Visit the world famous Hermitage, the Russian Museum, and other historical sites, all from $500.  Instruction, both in groups and individually, is divided into two groups: intermediate (up to 1700 ELO) and advanced.  Topics covered include pawn structure, fighting for the initiative, psychological stability at critical moments, opening preparation, and more.  I definitely plan on attending one of these years!

July 21st, 2002

Chess Stories
http://www.homestead.com/seventhrank/stories.html

Harold Bearce put together this site, which houses a collection of short (3000 words or less) stories with a chess theme.  Most are fiction, although there are a few non-fiction stories as well.

Bearce has assembled an interesting and varied collection of stories, and invites his readers to submit their own works.  There are entries here from contemporary authors (Dan Heisman) as well as historical ones (e.g. Ambrose Bierce, 1909).  There's even a link to a collection of Spanish language stories.  A brief introduction to each story provides some background information about the story, the author, or both.

Chess Stories is easy to navigate, with large easy to find buttons, and a return to the index provided on each story's page.  There are links to collections of stories by some of the more prolific authors, e.g. Don Emigh.  This site was last updated on June 5, 2002.  There is a button to join a mailing list, but this service appears to be currently unavailable.

A sampling of story titles:  The Devil Takes Postal Chess;  Botkin's Resignation, A Tiny Zebra, and Praying To Win.  There's also a non-fiction recounting of a blitz match in 1960 between Fischer & Petrosian.

I won't attempt to critique the various author's literary skills, nor pretend that I've read everything on the site, but what I've read so far is keeping me coming back for more!  If you've a few minutes to spare, take a quick read through Chess Stories here.

July 28th, 2002

StickyChess
http://www.stickychess.com

StickyChess is not sticky...but it does stick!  A few weeks ago they placed an advertisement here in The Chessville Weekly, and a few days later I received a couple of StickyChess sets in the mail to try out.  I'll tell you what I think, but first let's take a look at StickyGames.

This company produces travel sets for chess, checkers, and backgammon.  They urge you to "Throw it!!!  Drop it!!!  Stuff it in your pocket!!!"  Do so, and the pieces they say will stay on the board.  These products use a velcro-like hook & loop material to accomplish this feat, allowing you to play just about anywhere without messing up the position.

StickyGames offers two sizes of chess sets: small (7½x7½) or large (10x10), both for under $20. Sets can be ordered either directly from StickyGames, or at nine retail outlets in North America, and one in Europe.

I found the small set to be less practical then the larger one.  It simply won't lie flat when unrolled.  The larger set also suffers from this problem, but to a lesser extent.  It folds into thirds and is secured by two elastic loops.  Missing is a place to put captured pieces.  Among the positives is the fact that the pieces really do stay put.  A friend and I put their claim to the test, and threw the board back & forth during a game, with nary a piece out of place.  The ranks and files are velcro strips that are woven together, providing a very flexible surface that allows the board to roll up easily for storage or travel.  While I didn't try the set in a swimming pool, it does appear to be water resistant.  If you're the active sort, always on the go, this is a perfect set for you; I keep mine in my backpack at all times.  StickyChess is the perfect alternative to magnetic or electronic sets.  Check it out here.

August 11th, 2002

ICCF
International Correspondence Chess Federation

Home of the official international body for Correspondence Chess (CC), whose aims are "to organize, develop and promote the study and practice of international correspondence chess throughout the world. It supports and promotes close international co-operation between chess players, enthusiasts and with the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), thereby aiming to enhance contact and friendly harmony amongst the peoples of the world."

Webmaster Evelin Radosztics has put together a well organized and easily navigated site.  A menu bar across the top indicates the major sections: About ICCF, Ratings & Titles, ICCF Rules, Tables & Results, Columns & Articles, and Game Archive.  Another menu bar along the left side of each page gives access to sub pages within each of these topics.

A variety of CC tournaments are under way at any given time, currently including such events as the CC World Championship, Olympiads (including a separate one for the ladies), tourneys via both e-mail and the more traditional postal service, as well as tourneys organized along class, thematic, and geographical lines.  Ratings are updated every six months.

Dr. Vytas (Victor) Palciauskas, the 10th World Correspondence Champion, wrote a Game-of-the-Month column for ICCF from January 2000 to October 2001, and these are all archived there.  Unfortunately, this column has no new entries after last October.

Of special note are the archived games, 16462 of them altogether.  This is a real treasure trove of CC games in zipped pgn-format.  CC players are known for the depth of their opening analysis, and these games in your favorite openings deserve close scrutiny.

If CC is your thing, or you want to get started in the world of International CC, this site is essential.  Check it out here.

August 18th, 2002

Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities
http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess/chess.html

'The moment was still there when he had seen two boys playing chess, and there had been an explosion of certainty that he wanted that too, forever, whatever it would turn out to be.'

So begins one of the most interesting and varied pages of the internet chess world.  Tim Krabbé has assembled an incredible collection of chess-related stuff.  I'll review some of the stuff in a moment, but first let's meet Tim.

Born in Amsterdam in 1943, married with one son, Tim comes from an artistic family of painters, actors, directors, and writers.  While he did some acting and also studied psychology, Tim's primary careers have been as a journalist and a novelist. Several films have been based on his novels, and his articles have appeared in chess as well as in mainstream publications.  Tim has been among the top chessplayers in Holland.  He composes chess problems, and has been building his Chess Curiosities website since June, 1998.  His Open Chess Diary is an on-going compilation of musings and meanderings in the world of chess; you may have seen links to it from time to time in The Chessville Weekly's New On the Net section.

The Chess Curiosities home page is just one long list of links to his other pages, 54 links in all.  Some example page titles include The Kuwait Immortal, Defending Humanity's Honor, The 100 Greatest Moves Ever Played (this week's Position of the Week, above, comes in at #3 all time!), The Mother of all Forks, Diagram of the Century, and so on.

One of my favorite pages on Tim's list is his Chess Records (longest, latest, shortest, mostest) where you can find out the records for things like the longest game, the greatest number of castlings, longest series of checks, latest first capture, and earliest stalemate.  An interesting article about "Strangest Coincidence Ever - Or Hoax?" deals with the authenticity of one of the finest queening combinations I have ever seen.  Hoax or not, you have to check out the combination.

A download of all 415 known Morphy games,  ruminations on the famous Saavedra position, Alekhine's five-queens game, and much, much more are all here for you to enjoy.  I wish you many happy hours of browsing through Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities, and to Tim I can only say, Thank you, thank you, and thank you once again!

August 25th, 2002

Alexandra Kosteniuk
http://www.kosteniuk.com

Speak to me, so that I can see you,
So that the Sun begins to shine more brightly,
So that I'm later not regretting
That time ran out before I told your story.

So begins one of the many poems written by Alexandra Kosteniuk, International Woman Grandmaster (WGM - 1998), an International Master among men (IM - 2000) and Women's Vice World Champion (2001).  Chessplayer, poet, model, author.  Oh, did I mention that she's just 18 years old, and has her own web site?

This is her official website, and is organized along familiar lines - a series of links along the left side of the page mirror those near the top of the page, underneath an advertising banner.  Major sections include: About Alexandra, Photo Album (!), Shop, Learn Online, Chess Calendar, Fan Club, poems, best games, guestbook, forum, chat, and contact info.

The site has a number of interesting features (you must visit the photo album) including pages from her book, How I Became A Grandmaster At Age 14.  They post another page each week.  There is information about taking lessons from Alexandra at the Internet Chess Club ($25/hour), and a selection of chess postcards & software, and her book, of course.  The seemingly obligatory links collection is fairly small, and could be improved by the addition of Chessville!

Although parts of the site (like the forum for example) are still rather sparse, other parts (see the photo album) have a fair amount of both quantity & quality.  I tend to see this site as a work in progress, just like it's subject.  The de facto webmaster, Diego Garces, seems very open to suggestions for improvement, and I look forward to revisiting Kosteniuk's site.  The site does offer coverage of her current chess events though, with links to home pages of tourney's she participates in.

The Best Games page could be improved by the addition of a means to play through the games presented, but they can fairly easily be pasted into whatever pgn viewer you use.  Some annotations to these games would be nice too.  I leave you with one of the games she's posted:

Kosteniuk Alexandra (RUS) - Nikolaidis Konstantinos (GRE), Ikaria (Greece), It (Open), 1998:  1.e4 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 e6 6.Nge2 Nge7 7.d3 d6 8.O-O O-O 9.Rb1 Rb8 10.Be3 Nd4 11.b4 b6 12.f4 Bd7 13.Qd2 Qc7 14.Rfc1 Rfc8 15.Qe1 e5 16.Bd2 a6 17.Nd4 ed 18.Nd5 Nd5 19.cd Bb5 20.Bf1 Qd7 21.Qe2 Re8 22.Qf3 Rbc8 23.g4 Qe7 24.g5 f6 25.Bh3 Rc7 26.Be6 Kh8 27.h4 Rf8 28.f5 Bd7 29.Rf1 c4 30.gf Bf6 31.Bh6 Re8 32.fg Be6 33.Qf6 Qf6 34.Rf6 hg 35.de cd 36.Rd1 Rc3 37.Rf8 Rf8 38.Bf8 Kg8 39.Bd6 Ra3 40.e7 [1:0]

September 1st, 2002

Artful Dodger's ChessChat
http://hood.hctc.com/~dtriplet/

"Chess got a grip on your life? When you walk into a bookstore do you walk directly to the games/chess section? Are you always asking your friends, "Want to play a quick game?" Do you liken every political, social, and economical struggle to the '72 World Championship?"  If so, you're a candidate for the Artful Dodger's ChessChat.

ChessChat isn't really a website, although there is a site and the site does have some content.  What ChessChat really is though, is an email discussion group, using Yahoo Groups as host.  You can elect to read the messages at the Yahoo Groups site, or receive them via email.

Dan "The Artful Dodger" Triplett, started ChessChat October 25th, 1998 and has 476 members as of this writing.  Dan writes "I had been looking for chess discussion lists and outside of Usenet really couldn't find any. I basically had in mind one thing: create a place for chess players to come and discuss all things chess. I didn't really have any specific criteria I thought the discussion list should meet but I didn't want it to focus on only one aspect of chess, the list is much more than that."

"Like many lists, ChessChat has at its core a group of players who have been with us for years, some since its inception. Each has brought their unique flavor for the game, along with their special interests and insights, and have made ChessChat what it is today: a community. ChessChat has taken on a life of it's own and is what it is not because of my efforts, but because of the members who contribute to the list. We're friendly, informative, sometimes combative, and always fun."

This is list is active, intelligent, and has quite a number of very strong players among it's members, including several masters and at least one ICCF IM.  I've been a member for a couple of years now, and it is simply the best email based discussion group there is.  You need to join now!  I'll finish with the word's Dan finishes off the ChessChat home page with: Remember: It's only a game. (Yeah, Right!)

September 8th, 2002

Mr. Mip's Chess Palace
http://personal.inet.fi/koti/mr.mip/

Are you Pignorant?  Find out, in the King's Gallery, just one of several stops on this tour of the unusual, the fascinating, and the beautiful in the world of chess problems.  Hannu Timo Lehto has put together a kaleidoscopic collection of chess problems, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

MMCP contains a number of galleries, including the King's Gallery mentioned above, the Queen's Gallery with five of Mr. Mip's own efforts, the Bishop's Gallery - problem's to make you laugh (White to mate in ½-move).  The Knight's Gallery has a terrific trio of teasers from one of the all-time greats, Sam Loyd.

Each problem has the solution hidden, so there's no chance to "accidentally" peak.  Some even contain cryptic clues, but I think these are just Mr. Mip's way of expressing his sense of humor.  The only downside to this site is the extreme brevity of the collection - just 18 problems in all.  They are guaranteed to entertain & amuse you though, or your money back.  Check out Mr. Mip's Chess Palace right now!

September 29th, 2002

The Retrograde Analysis Corner
http://www.janko.at/Retros/

This site provides a comprehensive look at chess compositions involving Retrograde Analysis.  It was first created by Philippe Schnoebelen in April 1995, with the goal of providing "a repository where all retro-enthusiasts can find easy access to material pertaining to Retrograde Analysis."  Later Joost de Heer took over maintenance of the materiel, and he continues to assist the current curator, Otto Janko.  This site is an awesome example of what a large group of enthusiasts can accomplish.  The material collected here "has been gathered ... from a large set of benevolent contributors, who spent their time and energy in the interest of the Retro community."

The first section to visit, if you are new to Retrograde Analysis, is called "What Is Retrograde Analysis?"  The short answer: "Retrograde Analysis is a genre of chess problems where the legality of the position is a key element.  A position is legal if it can be reached through a legal chess game (no matter how weird).  Retros (i.e. problems with a Retrograde Analysis content) may ask for e.g. a mate in two, but the main content (at least in modern retros) is in explaining the history of the position. Part of it anyway. This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts."  Let's look at an example from the sites pedagogical gallery:

The problem at right is a Mate-In-One, by W. F. von Holzhausen (Akademische Schachblätter, 1901) and that is all the information you are given.  See if you can figure it out on your own before reading the following explanation.  Give up?  There is no immediate mate IF it is White to move.  If it is White to move though, then what was Black's last move?  Right, there is no legal move Black could have made last, to reach this position.  Therefore White moved last, and it is now Black to move.  Once you figure that part out, the rest is fairly simple: Black has only three moves possible - 1...Kxa7 2.b8=N mate.  Or 1...Kxc7 2.bxa8=N mate.  Or 1...Rxa7 2.Rc8 mate.  This could be the easiest Retro problem you will ever see!

That the site is well maintained is evidenced by the fact that there are 19 entries listed under "What's New" for the summer months of June, July, and August.  The contents include a Retro Glossary, resources & books for Retro enthusiasts, problems from recent Retro columns, current Retro tourneys for composers, and several galleries of retro problems (including thematic collections prize winners, etc.)  There is even a mailing list you can join to discuss Retros, and it appears to be fairly active, with 70 posts so far this month from 138 list members.

While the home page's organization might be improved (it is essentially one long list) it hardly detracts from this fascinating genre of chess puzzles, nor from the amazing collection of material.  This may be the single best online resource for Retro puzzles and resources.  Drop in and look around, but be forewarned: Retro puzzles can be addictive!  Here is one more puzzle suggested by Otto Janko as a good choice for the not-so-experienced retro solver:

This problem is by Nenad Petrovic, published in
The Problemist, 1930.

The challenge is to decide Who mates-in-one!  Remember - you have to figure out how this position could be legally reached in order to decide who's turn it is to move.  Click here for the solution.
 

October 6th, 2002

The World Chess Championship
http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/wcc-indx.htm

Mark Weeks should be a name familiar to many of you.  He has several web sites to his credit, including this list of sites related to  Chess History On the Web, and a Yahoo Group "Chess History",  which he used as a mail list server for his phenomenally thorough and well-researched Chess History On the Web site reviews.  Unfortunately Mark's new responsibilities (he recently took over the vacant Chess Guide position at the About.com chess site, so be sure to visit him there, too) are forcing him to end this remarkable series.  Mark is an ICCF Master, with a FIDE rating of 2235, so he brings chess skill to his obvious love of the game.

Now, back to his World Chess Championship site.  The site is divided into three major sections: the current era (1991-2002), the FIDE era (1948-1990), and the pre-FIDE era, the years before 1948.  The current era section includes events leading up to the actual Championship matches, including the candidates matches, and the FIDE knock-out system, along with the PCA/GMA/Braingames matches.

The FIDE era section includes the Interzonals (ah, the nostalgia this site stirs in my heart for the "good old days"), the Candidates matches, and of course the World Championship match itself.  Let's take a closer look at the 1970-1972 cycle for an example.

The 1970 Interzonal  Tournament at Palma de Mallorca brought together the qualifiers from the various Zonal tournaments around the world.  In the US the US Championship was the qualifying Zonal, but there was a problem: Fischer had not participated in the US Championship, and so did not qualify for the World Championship cycle.  Instead, the third-place qualifier from the US Championship, GM Pal Benko, gave up his spot in the Interzonal so Fischer could play.

This is the one criticism I have of this site - while it does an excellent job of organizing & presenting the games & matches themselves, this sort of background information is missing from the FIDE & pre-FIDE era pages.  I couldn't find, for example, an explanation of just how the cycle worked (the top six finishers joined the loser of the last World Championship match and the loser of the previous Candidates Matches Final in a series of elimination matches, the winner of which earned the right to face the reigning Champion).  Nor are there any photographs of the competitors.  In contrast, there is considerable information available about the machinations of the organizers & players in the current era.

The information about the cycle is very well organized & presented.  The crosstable for the Interzonal shows that Fischer scored 18½ out of 23, finishing 3½ points ahead of his nearest competitor.  The Candidate's Matches document Fischer's complete whitewash (6-0) of Taimanov and Larsen, and his defeat of Petrosian in the Candidate's Finals, at last earning the right to face Spassky for the title.  Of course, all the other Candidate's Matches are presented also.  All of the games are available as a pgn download, and there are diagrams showing highlights from the best games.  Inclusion of the 1992 Fischer-Spassky rematch is further evidence of the thoroughness of Mark's efforts.  A selection of the best games from the history of the World Championship are made available for online viewing in a java-based viewer.

Near the bottom of the home page is a long list of related topics covered on the site, including Women's Championships, ICCF Correspondence Championships, and Computer Championships.  The What's New? page documents the continuing development of WCC; in the third quarter of 2002 he added the 10th World Computer Chess Championship to Computer Chess, crosstables for the 1950 title tournament, Candidate Tournaments between 1952 and 1967 (6 events), and Interzonals between 1971 and 1985 (10 events) to Women's events.

Overall, I have to rate this site very highly for organization and presentation.  The breadth of the material is nearly complete, and only lacking in depth, e.g. the background information mentioned earlier.  Mark's ongoing efforts to build this site will surely, over time,  rectify this minor shortcoming however.  This is the single best online source of games and information about the World Chess Championship that I have seen.  Stop by and check out: The World Chess Championships.

October 20th, 2002

Uncrowned Kings
http://www.phileo.demon.co.uk/

Webmaster Phil Hughes has assembled a collection of games & tournament/match records of a number of very strong players.  While the concept for the site appeared to be originally intended to focus on "a select group of players who were not granted the opportunity, for various reasons, to play a match for the world title" (Victor Korchnoi - 2746 games, Bent Larsen - 2605 games, Paul Keres - 2011 games, Aron Nimzowitsch - 609 games, Akiba Rubinstein - 946 games) he has added pages related to other fine players of yesteryear.

There is a section dedicated to the Hypermoderns (Saviely Tartakower - 1282 games, Richard Réti - 717 games, Ernst Grünfeld - 508 games, and Gyula Breyer - 170 games), and another for British Champions (Howard Staunton - 353 games, Henry Atkins 125 games (is he the forebear of our illustrious editor?), Frederick Yates - 531 games, Sir George Thomas - 605 games, Mir Sultan Khan - 138 games, William Winter - 194 games, C.H.O'D Alexander - 384 games, and Doctor Stefan Fazekas 165 games) along with a page charting every British Champion since 1866.

Many of the sections contain images of the players. The game files themselves are zipped files in the .cbv Chessbase format.  The site contains a link in their links collection for downloading the free ChessBaseLight program so you can view these files even if you don't have the full blown version of Chessbase.

While Hughes doesn't claim to have the definitive collection for these players (although he thinks his collection of 2011 games by Paul Keres may well be complete), he does intend to continue collecting games and adding to the collection until they are complete.  There have been three updates this year, the most recent to the collection of Sir George Thomas on September 4th.

The site is pretty straightforwardly organized, with easy to find and follow links to the other pages.  There isn't a lot of discussion of the players themselves, so it you are looking for biographical information you will need to look elsewhere.  Still, the games collections are a valuable resource if you want to study a particular player or are looking for a particular game by one of these great players, and the images are interesting for their historical value.  Visit Uncrowned Kings today.

October 27th. 2002

America's Foundation For Chess
http://www.af4c.org/

"Our mission is to strengthen the minds and character of young people by advancing chess in our schools and culture." 
An ambitious yet admirable goal for the organization that rescued the US Championships.  In 2000 the United States Chess Federation lost their prime sponsor for the national championships.  In stepped the organization that would become America's Foundation For Chess (AF4C), spearheaded by GM Yasser Seirawan, agreeing to a ten-year sponsorship package.  The vision has grown from there.

"Numerous studies show that learning to play chess enhances children's intellectual and social development.  Children who play chess, on average, get higher scores in reading and math then non-chess players.  They are also more confident in their creativity, have stronger critical thinking and problem solving skills and increased levels of concentration."

Today AF4C also promotes youth chess both in and out of schools.  AF4C would like to see chess become a regular part of every child's classroom experience.  So far their direct efforts appear limited to the Seattle, Washington area, where they have initiated in-class programs in eight schools; more then 700 students are actively learning and playing chess, and next year they plan to expand to include almost 1,200 youth.

Other efforts include sponsorship of youth chess tournaments and awarding scholarships to reward chess success.  In December AF4C will be sponsoring an international youth match between the top 24 K-12 (2 from each grade) players in Washington and Team British Columbia.  Other activities bring in top US players for free simultaneous exhibitions, an effort to reach an under-targeted group with a program called SMARTGirls, and chess jamborees.

All of this promotion and activity, of course, comes with a price tag.  AF4C's annual report for the year ending 12-31-01 (audited financial statement and report are available for review) document expenses of over $515,000 USD.  Revenues ran short, at just over $500,000 USD.  While AF4C boasts a long list of individual and corporate sponsors, clearly a need for further cash investment exists.  AF4C is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which means that all contributions are tax-deductible for those paying certain income taxes.  AF4C invites you to Invest In Chess, and donations may be made by credit card, or by calling their offices at 206-675-0490, or by writing to them at America's Foundation for Chess, 720 N 35th, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98103, USA, or by email at info@af4c.org.

If each reader of The Chessville Weekly gave just a few dollars each, we could quickly and easily wipe out that operating deficit and then some, while helping to both promote chess and support our children.  I challenge each and every one of you to consider seriously sending in whatever you are able.  Visit America's Foundation For Chess today to learn more about this very worthy organization.

November 3rd, 2002

First Saturday Chess Tourneys

Budapest, Hungary

Starting on the first Saturday of each month, Chess Organizer and Tournament Director László Nagy organizes a series of tournaments with the intent of providing title norm and FIDE rating opportunities.   Separate events are held simultaneously:

• GM Tourney - at least a Category VII - VIII event.  Possible norms: GM, IM

• IM Tourney - at least a Category I - III event.  Possible norms: IM, FM

• FM Tourney - all players FIDE rated.  Possible norm: FM, also can establish a FIDE rating

These round-robin events are played at the headquarters of the Hungarian Chess Federation, in Budapest.  The web site offers information on accommodations for players &/or guests, as well as practical tips like the best methods of transportation around Budapest, places to eat, and recommended currency exchange businesses.

Players from all over Europe, and occasionally other parts of the world as well, flock here each month to fight over those coveted title norms, and as you might imagine, the fighting gets fierce at times.  Take this game, for example: going into the final round of the October GM Tourney, Hungarian IM Gergely Antal sat at 7.0 points, one full point short of this Category VIII tourney's GM-norm.  He already led the field by a half-point though, and could have contented himself with a draw, earning at least a share of 1st place.  He was paired against one of the three GMs participating - Yugoslavian GM Goran Todorovic:

Antal, G. (2465) - Todorovic, G. (2465), ECO B33:  1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 d6 7. Ndb5 e5 8. Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Nd5 f5 12. c3 Bg7 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Nc2 O-O 15. Nce3 Bd7 16. Bd3 f5 17. Qh5 e4 18. Bc2 Qe8 19. Qh4 b4 20. O-O bxc3 21. bxc3 Ne5 22. f3 Ng6 23. Qh5 Rc8 24. fxe4 fxe4 25. Rxf8+ Nxf8 26. Qh4 Ng6 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Nxh7+ Kg8 29. Nf6+ Bxf6 30. Qxf6 Kh7 31. Rf1 Qe6 32. Qd4 Bc6 33. Bb3 Qe5 34. Qa7+ Kh8 35. Rf5 1-0

And so another title norm was achieved.  Untitled Hungarian Victor Erdos also achieved a last-round victory (over German FM Juergen Brustkern) to lock up an IM norm.  In the IM-A Group tourney, untitled Hungarian Gellert Papp won his last round game to secure an IM norm, while Israeli FM Zeev Dub did likewise in the IM-B Group.

With plenty of fighting chess, and beautiful historic Budapest to explore, these tourneys make a great vacation idea for the chess enthusiast, as well as creating otherwise hard to come by opportunities for title norms and FIDE ratings.  Visit the First Saturday site today, and plan your trip to Budapest!  Follow the First Saturday tourneys at Chessville News.
 

11-10-02

The Chess Variant Pages
http://www.chessvariants.com/

"In January 1995, Hans Bodlaender started a small website on chess variants. First, this was not much more than an html-interface upon a number of files he had saved from the electronic news in the previous years. After that, he wrote descriptions of a number of variants that he found most interesting (e.g., those of several historic chess variants.) After a while, interest began to grow; people began to send additional materials, and he started to make pictures with the starting setup, etc."  The Chess Variant Pages (CVP) have continued to grow, and in October 2002 received over two million "hits".

CVP chronicles more types of variants then I could count.  There are variants on the traditional game (e.g. loser's chess), historic variants, Oriental variants (e.g. Shogi, Xiangqi), 3-D variants (think Star-Trek), multi-player variants, small and large variants, variants with unusual or invisible pieces, even variants on unusual shaped boards - including round, cylindrical, and hexagonal boards.

The variants are presented with text written by practitioners of that variant, so you know you're getting the best possible descriptions.  Graphics are clear and colorful, making the pages both easy and interesting to follow.  Navigation is easy too, with plenty of links to other pages at CVP as well as related external sites.  A review function allows viewers to rate or review the page or variant.

CVP lists six updates for the week ending 11-6-02 (I am writing this on 11-4-02) and 15 updates for the previous week.  Clearly this is a continuously evolving site.  CVP has a Forum, but this appears not to receive much use, with the most recent post dated 5-12-2002.  For those hardy souls actually wanting to play one of these variants, links to other variant sites are provided, as well as both Chess Variant Yahoo Clubs & Chess Variant Yahoo Groups.  CVP grows primarily through contributions from viewers, who are offered guidelines and tips.

Personally, I have enough of a challenge trying to figure out the classical form of chess.  Once I get that game mastered, then maybe I'll look into some of the variants.  OK, OK, so I've dabbled a little; playing the odd game of FischerRandom, loser's chess, even Bughouse or Siamese Chess.  I still come back to the classical game.  They say variety is the spice of life though, so if your gaming needs a little spicing up, or if you're just curious, The Chess Variant Pages are worth checking out!

11-17-02

The Bobby Fischer Home Page
http://bobbyfischer.net/

"Disclaimer

I had to chuckle when I read these words, posted prominently near the top of this site's home page.  I imagine they receive way too much mail expecting to plug right into Bobby's brain.

This is a Fischer Fan site, and it plain to see the dedication of the site's publisher.  Different sections highlight Fischer's tournament & match record, his opening & endgame play, and his opponents.  While these lists merely sort & categorize the data from the 690 games the site attributes to Fischer, the analysis of his opening repertoire shows more effort.  Here's an example of his responses to the French in each era of his career:

Early Years:  "When faced with the French Defense, Fischer almost invariably invited the Winawer with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3. After the further moves 3...Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bc3 6.bc3, we arrive at the theoretically crucial position. [112, 171, 257, 284, 291, 298, 353, 383, 399]"

Middle years:  "During this period, Fischer had uneven results against the French defense. He maintained his allegiance to 3.Nc3 inviting the Winawer variation, but many of his opponents chose less critical variations like the MacCutcheon and Burn variations. [414, 445, 464, 497, 504, 542]"

And the latter period:  "Bobby stayed with 3.Nc3, still inviting the Winawer. He successfully experimented with 4.a3 vs. Uhlmann at Zagreb, 1970, but lost against Kovacevic with this move later in the same tournament. [584, 586, 599, 616, 655, 663, 669]"

One of the best features of this site is the incredible collection of photographs.  Over 200 thumbnails show Bobby in all phases of his career, from awkward teen to World Champion to aging recluse.  This is truly a fascinating visual record, which includes magazine covers and even a Fischer autograph.    Another great resource offered at this site is "100 Notable Games in Bobby Fischer's Chess Career", which can be either downloaded or played through on the site.  Each game comes with a brief introduction, but no annotation.  Other features worth mentioning include a short Flash-format movie by Felix Jung (ending with "Come home.  Come home.") and a collection of Fischer quotes ("People have been playing against me below their strength for fifteen years.").

Although the site is easy to navigate (at the bottom of each page are links to the major sections) I was mislead by the upper frame provided to each page, which contains  what look like links to different sections, but which in fact do not function.  The site lists 20 updates so far in 2002, and includes such other things as Fischer's radio interviews, and reprints of 35 different articles about Bobby, including authors such as Reuben Fine, Frank Brady, Ralph Ginzburg, Brad Darrach, William Lombardy, Garry Kasparov, even Bobby's own account of his arrest and incarceration in Pasadena.

For Fischer fans as well as those who are just curious about the former (or still?) World Champion, this site is a must see.