A game from the C group

Wednesday was a rest day so in the three main groups there was no chess in Wijk aan Zee. A nice opportunity for some chess players for sightseeing at the seaside resort, shopping, visiting coffee-houses or even exploring the nightlife. Surely this does not apply to GM Harmen Jonkman, who is living in the neighbourhood and must have seen the idyllic of the little town by now. No, certainly he and his seconds have been preparing the next match against the leader of group C, Ian Nepomniachtchi (photo). Below a brief analysis of yesterday’s match. Read more

‘The Kid’ strikes with the KID

Perhaps it was the combination of the storm that was hitting the Dutch coast with 10 bft and the fact that there were no amateur games, that made it awfully quiet yesterday at the Corus Chess Tournament. The visitors who made the trip to Wijk aan Zee were paid for their efforts as there were some interesting games again. Of course there was the first victory of Loek van Wely and the third win with Black for ‘The Kid’ Teimour Radjabov. As I think this is quite unique I would like to pay some attention to this game. Read more

Daily puzzle 011907

White plays and wins. The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:
1.c5 Nd7 [1...Nd5 2.Bb5+] 2.e6 Bxa1 [2...Qf6 3.exd7+ Kxd7 4.Bb5+ Kc8 5.0–0+-] 3.exd7+ Kxd7 4.Bb5+ Bc6 5.Qh3+ g4 6.Qxg4+ f5 7.Qxf5+ Ke8 8.Bxc6+ Qd7 9.Qxd7# 1–0 (Motylev-Sosnicki, Swidnica 1998).

Have fun with our daily puzzles!

Chess Trivia of 19 January

On 19 January Gennady Kuzmin (1946) was born.

>> earlier trivia

Press conference Loek van Wely

Still in the press room, and therefore we can already put online the press conference of Loek van Wely. Too bad for Shirov, because his new loss is explained again. Loek’s story is a bit shorter (it fits in one YouTube video) but that’s mainly because of the game. Till further than move 20 it was all theory, and after that the game was decided soon. By the way it’s the opening line that Van Wely had spoken about already at Chessvibes and about which he had said that he would play something during this tournament that’s ‘not entirely correct but won’t be refuted until after this tournament’. Read more

Live reporting: round 5

Laste update: 18.12 CET

And we have started. The fifth round immediately sees some interesting opening positions. Especially Shirov-Van Wely: they follow a topical line of the Najdorf - let’s hope it’ll go better for KingLoek than against Topalov, but I remember this line being theoretically better for White… We’ll look it up and get back to this soon. Radja played another King’s Indian (which means more work for Golubev!) and Navara reacted surprisingly with some Bg5 line. Karjakin-Motylev is a Advance Caro-Kann (we haven’t seen that one for a while!), Tivi does something very quiet and very unknown against Topa’s Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez, Pono-Kramnik is a quiet Semi-Slav, Anand this time declines Svidler’s Marshall (although tutor Jan van Kalken has said that ‘you can always take the first pawn’) and Aronian immediately sac’ed a pawn against Carlsen (a Queen’s Indian). Read more

Fragments of round 3

Yes yes, I know, round 3 is sóóóó last Monday. But well, actually Chessvibes could use that rest day too. And so we’re looking at an impressive pile of (great) material that makes you sigh. This morning I decided to continue working on it before going to Wijk aan Zee, and I made a video with fragments of the third round. The editing is improving too, I think (if I might say so). Have fun! Read more

Daily puzzle 011807

White plays and wins. The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:
1.Nxf5+ gxf5 2.Rxe4 fxe4 3.Bxc8 1–0 (Van Wely-Burger, Philadelphia 1992).

Have fun with our daily puzzles!

Chess Trivia of 18 January

On 18 January Alexander Khalifman (1966) and Alisa Galliamova (1972) were born. Today in 1973 Al Horowitz passed away.

>> earlier trivia

Rest day in Wijk aan Zee

Today an article by a new editor, who had a look at the developments in the Corus B and C groups for us.

After four rounds of great chess in Wijk aan Zee the fourteen grandmasters now deserve a day off. So far we have seen some tremendous matches and obviously we look forward to some more excitement. Especially Radjabov, who is currently leading group A, has made quite an impression. It is really fabulous the way the 19-year-old Azerbaijani plays the Kings-Indian and how he leaves his opponents with empty hands. It may me a bit premature, however some visitors of Chessvibes might consider an adjustment to their predictions of this year’s favourite. Read more

Daily puzzle 011707

White plays and wins. The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:
1.Rxf5 gxf5 2.g6 1–0 (Morozevich-Anand, Moscow 1995)

Have fun with our daily puzzles!

Chess Trivia of 17 January

Op 17 January Karel Traxler (1866) and ex-world champion Maya Chiburdanidze (1961) were born.

>> earlier trivia

Press conference: Topalov again (and poor Shirov)

Today it was Topalov again who didn’t mind showing his game to the journalists in the press room (and the chess fans at Chessvibes!). Poor Shirov, who we see again on the losing side. By the way, do we have to start worrying about Shirov? Will it be his last Wijk aan Zee? Or is it just a slow start? Let’s hope so… Anyway, have fun with this time a piece of Kasparovian opening preparation by Topalov in the Grünfeld. Read more

Round 4 live from Wijk aan Zee

Last update 23.39 CET
Preview pressconference Topalov

The fourth round just started and so far it looks promising. Tiviakov refused to play his Scandinavian pet line with 3…Qd6 and chose the accelerated Dragon against the leader of the field, Radjabov. Shirov is creating again fire on the board against Topalov, who always is in for such a fight. This can be a very interesting game. So far the main game of this variation between Van Wely and Sutovsky, Dortmund 2005 is followed.
Carlsen looking very tired today, seems to go for a draw against Anand. Most probably Anand will not give him this additional rest day.

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Press conference Radjabov

After the third round, again a press conference took place, this time by the winner of the fascinating game Shirov-Radjabov. It’s already Radja’s second win with his King’s Indian at Corus, and so he confirms that the opening is still not refuted at top level. His explanation to the journalists was of an even higher level than Topalov’s yesterday, because Radja is not just showing a lot, but he’s also mentioning a lot of incomprehensible lines verbally. A true joy for the analysts among us. Read more

Daily puzzle 011607

White plays and wins. The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:
1.Qxh4+ Bxh4 2.Bg7+ Kh5 3.g4# 1–0 (Pytlakovsky-Schuksta, Warsaw 1953).

Have fun with our daily puzzles!

Chess Trivia of 16 January

On 16 January Frederick Yates (1884) and Victor Ciocaltea (1932) were born.

>> earlier trivia

Book review: ‘The Chigorin Defence’

What’s the first thing you do when you see a new opening book? Look up the variation you know most about and check what is said about it. Surprisingly enough, this is often a disappointment, and usually you don’t even buy it because of this first impression. “This will never work.” But it’s wrong to think like that. Read more

Round 3 live from Wijk aan Zee

Last update 20.52 CET

The third round has just started at Corus. From Wijk aan Zee we will be reporting live today as much as possible. There will certainly be exciting games today. The theoretical ‘KID’-fight between Shirov and Radjabov, for example, or the ‘Bosboom’-variation (8…h5) that Topalov employs against Karjakin today. But there’s more. In the C-group Emanuel Berg has played the obscure 6.Bc1!? against Nepomniatchi (if I’m not mistaken this is called the Olland-variation, named after the first champion of the Netherlands.) And is Suat Atalik really playing for a draw with White against Smeets, or has he found a hole in Smeets’ repertoire?
Read more

Press conference Topalov

This is what I had in mind, when I talked to tournament director Jeroen van den Berg during the Essent Tournament in Hoogeveen and proposed to make videos during Corus. The daily press conferences by the top players, in which they explain their game to the journalists in the press room seemed like excellent material to me for showing to a bigger audience. And it is. Watch and enjoy this free chess lesson by the world’s highest rated player. (And do the same with a part of the post-mortem of the game Motylev-Anand!) Read more

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