Kramnik beats Leko by a small margin

The last few days a rapid match of eight games was played between Peter Leko and Vladimir Kramnik, in the Hungarian town of Miskolc. Two years ago Leko had played 4-4 there against Adams and last year he beat with 4,5-3-5. This year the score board saw the same result in favour of Kramnik: 3,5-4,5. Read more

Daily puzzle 043007

What do you play with White? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

26…Nxg2!! 27.Nxf8 Rxf8 28.Qxg2 Bh3! 29.Qg6 Nf4 30.Qg3 and now 30…Bxf1 31.Kxf1 Qc4+ would have won for Black in Garcia Palermo-Valerga, Vicente Lopez 2005.

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Cheparinov and Carlsen convincing winners

Ivan Cheparinov and Magnus Carlsen have won their tournaments in Malmö and Gausdal in a convincing and quite similar manner. Both ended clear first by staying unbeaten with four draws and five victories. The Bulgarian did so at the Sigeman & Co, where shared second were Emanuel Berg, Tiger Hillarp Persson and a in the second half much better scoring Jan Timman. On his homeland Carlsen grabbed some more rating points and will surely pass the 2700 border on the July list. Rozentalis, Portisch and Krasenkov finished shared second. Read more

Daily puzzle 042907

What do you play with Black? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

20…Nh4!! 21.Rc2 (21.gxh4 Ng4! 22.Bxg4 Qxh4 and Black has a winning attack) 21…Ne8! with a big advantage, Bischoff-Gyimesi, Cork 2005.

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Weekly Endgame Study (17)

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. Read more

Daily puzzle 042807

What do you play with Black? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

17.g4! fxg4 18.Ng3 Rae8 19.f5 b5 20.Bg5 h6 21.Bxh6 bxc4 22.Ncxe4 Nb4 23.Nxf6! was good for White in Marin-Glastian, Moskou 2005.

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Daily puzzle 042707

What do you play with White? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

26…Bxb2! 27.Nxb2? (better was 27.Rh1!) 27…Qb7+ 28.Kg1 Qxb2 29.Rb1 Avrukh-Kotronias, Gibraltar 2005, and now Black should have played 29…Qxa2! 30.Rb7 Qd5! according to Kotronias.

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Head office Global Chess at the Max Euwe Center - interview with Bessel Kok

Yesterday a contract was signed between the Max Euwe Center and Global Chess BV, the new company what will be responsible for many FIDE tournaments and matches as well as the marketing of the game of chess in general. It means Global Chess BV will have their head office in the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ChessVibes had interviews with Bessel Kok and with Geoffrey Borg, about the cooperation with the Max Euwe Center and especially about the plans of Global Chess BV. Read more

New open letters Dresden

On Tuesday last week GM Erik van den Doel sent an open letter to us and others in which he complained about the quality of the food in his hotel and the price that had to be paid for it, during the European Championships. He wondered where the chess players’ money exactly went. Today we publish the reaction of ECU president Boris Kutin and Van den Doel’s reply. Read more

Daily puzzle 042607

What do you play with Black? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

18.f4!! gxh4 19.fxe5 Qe8 Ehlvest-Mac Intyre, Sturbridge 2005, and now 20.e4! is good for White.

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New: Khalifman on the Sicilian, Part 2

If you play what Alexander Khalifman recommends in his tremendously successful series Opening for White According to Anand, you will not be surprised by simple refutations. Khalifman is thorough and has a lot new analyses, and most strong and very strong chess players use his books.

But Kahlifman is very good for the club player, as well. That is because he has a lot of explanatory text. He points out the essence of all important positions, and explains themes and plans in a very accessible way. Khalifman is a gifted teacher, and at the end of each chapter always summarizes his conclusions.

In this new book, Volume 9, Khalifman continues on the Sicilian. He treats several rare lines in a way that is very instructive for your understanding of the Sicilian in general, and does the the Kalashnikov, Löwenthal, Four Knights, and the Taimanov and Paulsen.

Please have a look for yourself here.

What’s your favourite opening book?

Everyone has a favourite chess book, and if you ask strong players they will probably mention Bronstein’s book on Zürich ‘53, the games collection of Tal or perhaps Fire on Board by Shirov. Today a small variation on this theme, because I suspect that many players also have a favourite opening book. An opening book that had a great influence on their play. To me that’s Beating the Sicilian 2 by John Nunn. Nunn, who turns 52 today, doesn’t write opening books anymore, as he told me in August last year. Sadly, because his books are great. Read more

Daily puzzle 042507

What do you play with White? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

Strong was 30…Ba6!! (30…f5? 31.Rxc4! Rxc4 32.Bd3 is more difficult to win for Black) as played in Kotsur-Sutovsky, Moscow 2005.

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Daily puzzle 042407

What do you play with Black? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

21.Ra2!! followed by 22.f4 was surprisingly strong in Kramnik-J.Polgar, Sofia 2005.

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Portisch still going strong at Gausdal Classics

Besides Eric Moskow, the courageuos 2200 player between just titled players, it’s obviously the name of Lajos Portisch that catches the eye at the Gausdal Classics 2007. And after six rounds his play stands out too, because the Hungarian who just turned seventy is doing very well. With four draws and two victories (over GMs Krasenkov and Lie) he’s at a shared second place behind Magnus Carlsen, who’s leading with 4.5 points. Read more

Daily puzzle 042307

What do you play with White? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

19.e4!! c3 20.bxc3 dxe4 21.Nf5 Qc7 22.Bb5+ Kf8 23.N3d4 Rc8?! 24.Ne2! and White won in Ponomariov-Kramnik, Sofia 2005.

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Much to enjoy in Malmö

So far there has been much to enjoy Malmö at the Sigeman & Co Tournament. As I wrote before, with such an field of enterprising participants a very interesting tournament is assured. Tournament organizers should probably try to take into account that when you invite at least one of players such as Berg, Timman, Hector or Hillarp Persson, you’re sure of a certain degree of spectacle. It might be a good preventive medicine against the short draw virus too. Read more

Daily puzzle 042207

What do you play with White? The solution will be published tomorrow.

Yesterday’s solution:

44…Rf6!!–+ [44...Rg6 45.f4!= Atalik] 45.Qe3 [45.Kg1 Rg6 46.Rbb2 Bh2+ 47.Kf1 Bf4; 45.f4 Qh1+] 45…Qh1+ 46.Qg1 Rxf3+ 47.Ke2 Qh5 48.Kd2 Qg6! 49.Rd1 a3! 50.Re1 Rd3+ 51.Kc2 Re3+ 0–1, Rustemov-S.Atalik, Moscow 2005.

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NSI de Eenhoorn starts live

Thanks to our sponsor, my club NSI de Eenhoorn could purchase four electronical boards at the start of the season (next year we’d like to buy four more). At this very moment the match NSI de Eenhoorn 2-DBC from Dutch national league 3D starts. Four boards from this match can be followed online at this link. Enjoy!

Weekly Endgame Study (16)

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. Read more

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