Topalov still no. 1 - no, Anand!

Update April 2, 12.32 CET: as was already noted in the comments below, Anand is now indeed the no. 1 on the rating list on the FIDE website!

Update April 1, 12.40 CET: Chessbase claims FIDE will ‘correct’ the April list as soon as possible by including Morelia/Linares and Gibraltar. So I guess we can expect an update on de FIDE website in the coming days.

The FIDE rating list of April 2007 has been published. Surprise, surprise: Veselin Topalov is still the no. 1. He was overtaken by Viswananthan Anand during Morelia/Linares, but this tournament was not calculated. A strange thing, if you consider that this tournament always counted for the April list in recent years. Mark Crowther, who noticed that Gibraltar wasn’t included either, even considers it to be an error. But stricktly speaking, it’s even stranger that Linares was always included in the April list, since the deadline for a rating list is always one month. In other words: FIDE is suddenly stricktly obeying to their own rules. Not. As was remarked on Mig’s blog, some other tournaments that ended after March 1st, were included… full story »

Weekly Endgame Study (13)

Every Saturday an endgame study is published at Chessvibes, selected by Yochanan Afek: player, trainer, endgame study composer and writer. A week later the solution is published. full story »

An important improvement?

An opening that is currently not very popular at the highest level, is the Tarrasch Defence. You mainly see Slavs, Queen’s Indians and thanks to Radjabov many King’s Indians as well these days. Although Grischuk uses the Tarrasch occasionally, no top player seems to have seriously studied the opening since Kasparov in the eighties. The reason might be that Black players unconsciously associate it with boring positions and a draw as the best possible result. This is a misconception. full story »

Kramnik wins by two points

Not a surprise anymore: Kramnik has won the Melody Amber Tournament. The difference with runner-up Anand was two points. Kramnik’s glorious victory in the blind tournament, with 9 out of 11, is the basis of his overall win. Anand won the rapid tournament with 8,5 out of 11. Ivanchuk is still a great player, ending third in the combined standings. Carlsen’s shared second spot in the rapid is noteworthy too. full story »

It’s Official: Life Imitates Chess

Everybody knows that life imitates bad television (as Woody Allen once said). But wouldn’t it be wonderful, especially for all of us chess players, if life would turn out to imitate chess as well?

Now Garry Kasparov tells us that this is indeed the case! So cheer up: all the time you spend contemplating move orders, exchange sacrifices and mating attacks will improve your ability to cope with real life!

This certainly looks like a must-have book for every chess player. Now you can prove to your friends and family that when you are busy playing that ultimate online game, or gone to your local club, or studying that endgame book, that as a matter of fact you are doing something very useful indeed.

So our advice to you is: pre-order your copy of How Life Imitates Chess today!

Kramnik consolidates, Radjabov wins 2-0

With two draws against Svidler, Kramnik consolidated his lead today. Theoretically speaking Ivanchuk and Anand, who also drew twice against respectively Gelfand and Leko, can still finish shared first with him, but in any case Kramnik’s tournament victory is certain. The most notable player of the day was Radjabov, who beat Aronian twice. full story »

Sargissian scores 3021 performance

After last week’s lengthy article on the Ruy López Festival we had to return to this wonderful tournament once more. And especially because of the big success of the Armenian Gabriel Sargissian, who won the tournament with 6,5 out of 7 and a performance rating of 3021! Winning 24 rating points in one tournament, as a 2600 player, that’s not so bad. full story »

Carlsen stands firm, Van Wely wins

Magnus Carlsen stood firm today against Vladimir Kramnik and he managed to draw the blindfold game. He did loose lose the rapid game and because Anand played 1-1 against Aronian, Kramnik is now two points ahead of Anand and Ivanchuk in the combined standings. Loek van Wely won his first minimatch (1,5-0,5 against Peter Svidler) and isn’t in last position anymore. Radjabov is still having a hard time in Monaco. full story »

Participants Mtel announced

Update 27 March, 23.00 CET: the tournament website of Mtel is now online!

In a press release the participants of the Mtel Masters 2007 have been announced. Six strong GMs will play in the tournament that starts May 9 in Sofia. The chess fans will see the no. 1 in the world ranking (in May the no. 2) Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria, 2783), the European Champion for 2005 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania, 2689), the former World Junior Champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, 2754), the two World Championship finalists Gata Kamsky (USA, 2705) and Michael Adams (UK, 2735), as well as the young Indian hope Krishnan Sasikiran (IND, 2700). full story »

What makes poker so attractive to chess players?

The poker boom is in full swing and chess players, too, are not immune to its charms. It’s the nature of the beast that a disproportionate number of chess players have to do with poker, either as a hobbyists, semi- or full professional players. To name a few prominent examples: Klinger, Tolnai, Gallagher, Grischuk, Kasimdzhanov, M. Gurevich, A. Sokolov, Skripchenko, I. Sokolov, Relange, Nataf, Fressinet, Dautov, and Gustafsson. Considering the relation between poker and chess as strategy games and the many chess players already at the poker table, the migration of even more chess players is a natural development - at least in the background of the broader poker boom. So what is it that makes poker so interesting for chess players? What are the similarities between the two games? What characteristics of chess players help them in poker? full story »

The king of blindfold chess

Might he have a natural talent for it? Or did he spent lots of hours in trains, in his childhood, where he was bored and played games against himself for hours? Whatever the reason, Vladimir Kramnik is not only world champion but also the king of blindfold chess. In a super strong field he now has the monster score of 7,5 out of 8. Anand leads the rapid with 6,5 out of 8 and is now clear second in the combined standings. full story »

Jorge Sammour-Hasbun surprising winner Dos Hermanas

Jorge Sammour-Hasbun became the surprising winner of the ICC Dos Hermanas online tournament. Who? Many were wondering that of course. Sammour-Hasbun has been away from the game for ten years, but at some point he was a true prodigy. He won the world championship under 10 in 1988 and later also the Wch under 12, when his name was still Jorge Zamora. Jorge’s family emigrated from Palestina to America and there, at the age of 15 he already had a USCF rating of 2500. Amongst others he beat Gata Kamsky in those days. full story »

Weekly Endgame Study (12)

Every Saturday (this time with some delay, apologies for this) an endgame study is published at Chessvibes, selected by Yochanan Afek: player, trainer, endgame study composer and writer. A week later the solution is published. full story »

Kramnik even more

And he goes on and on. Vladimir Kramnik is in very good form in Monaco. Today he pushed away Peter Leko with 2-0, thereby improving his blindfold score to an impressive 6,5 out of 7 and increasing his overall lead. So far Anand is the best rapid player with 5,5 out of 7. full story »

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