Kamsky-Topalov: end of November

The Kamsky-Topalov match will be held at the end of 2008; after Anand-Kramnik. FIDE has scheduled the match between 26 November and 11 December. At the moment of writing, a Bulgarian bid to organize the match is well in the running, and so we foresee problems. full story »

Interview with Garry Kasparov (Part 2)

As promised, today the second part of Gert Devreese’s interview with Garry Kasparov. This part is about Kasparov’s chess career and especially about the matches against Karpov and Kramnik. It hasn’t been published anywhere before. Enjoy! full story »

Anand-Kramnik in Bonn, Germany

Breaking News: in a press release United Event Promotion (UEP) today announced that the 12-game World Championship Match between World Champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Vladimir Kramnik will take place 11-30 October 2008, in the National Art Gallery in Bonn, Germany. full story »

Review: From London to Elista

In my previous review I discussed last year’s World Championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov according to the book On the Edge of Elista by the Bulgarians Topalov and Ginchev. About the same time as the review, From London to Elista by the Russians Bareev and Levitov, was published. full story »

Review: On the Edge of Elista, Topalov-Kramnik 2006

When the editor in chief asked me to review this book, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Almost everything has already been said about the controversial match between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik, which was held in Elista slighty more than a year ago. For this review I wanted something new to write about. So, let me give a small disclaimer in advance: this review is not about the actual Toiletgate controversy and the arguments from both camps. Instead, I will try to focus on the perspective and the general idea behind the book. In my opinion, it is not at all about ‘Toiletgate’, but about something else altogether. full story »

“USSR” still stronger than “Yugoslavia”

Some other chess news got priority, but of course we haven’t missed the very special event that was held at the Central Chess Club in Moscow last Friday and Saturday. A friendly chess match was organised between the “Soviet-Union” and “Yugoslavia”, and big names that we know from the old times, such as Ivkov, Averbakh, Velimirovic and Taimanov, were playing in Moscow. The USSR won 11-9 after scoring 6-4 on day one and a 5-5 tie on day two. full story »

Ivanchuk beats Leko after blitz playoff

Leko had returned from the grave, levelling a score of 5-3 in Ivanchuk’s favour after 8 games, to put the final score on 6-6. But in the end it was still Ivanchuk who went away with the victory after winning the blitz playoff 0,5-1,5. This weekend the two super grandmasters played a 12-game exhibition rapid match in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo. full story »

What a way to win

During during the World Championship in Mexico, the computer match Rybka-Zappa was played. In the fourth game something happened that made me lose interest in this match (and actually in computer-computer matches in general). In Chess Today issue 2530 (which came out last Friday) IM Andrey Deviatkin analysed some games of the Rybka-Zappa match and after reading this, I feel obliged to tell the “truthâ€? about game 4. full story »

Top computers will also meet

Just like the last Wch, during this Wch in Mexico City a computer match will be held, starting tomorrow. The strongest engines of the moment will meet: Rybka (who became computer world champion this summer) and Zappa (world champ in 2005 and vice champion in 2007). The match consists of 10 games, with a time control of 60 minutes plus 20 seconds per move. We have the (quite interesting) press conference already on video. full story »

Navara and Timman the strongest in Prague

Update: an analysis by GM Sergei Movsesian has been added.

In Prague David Navara and Jan Timman both won their rapid matches against Nigel Short and Jana Jacková respectively. Navara beat Short convincingly: 7-3. Short managed to beat the young Czech, who was so succesful in Mainz, only once. Timman’s victory was even bigger, 7,5-2,5, though he lost twice. full story »

Interview Vladimir Kramnik

After the blitz exhibition in Dortmund today (of which we did have shot some nice video material, which will be published soon) I got a chance to speak briefly with world champion Vladimir Kramnik, who today celebrates his 32nd birthday. Of course I asked him about Mexico and especially about the news that was brought yesterday. full story »

Chess videos by ICC

(ICC sent me the following text and since I quite like these videos, I’m happy to bring them to your attention.) Each day during the Candidates Matches in Elista, ICC Chess.FM’s crack commentary team of GMs Larry Christiansen, Joel Benjamin, Jon Speelman, Varuzhan Akobian, John Fedorowicz and Gregory Kaidanov give their spin on “Game of the Day” with 15 minutes worth of full audio & board analysis. You can also rate each of the shows by voting on the best performance. full story »

Turn off those opening libraries!

Today not only the finals of the Candidate matches in Elista have begun, but also the “Ultimate Computer Challenge” computer match between Deep Fritz and Deep Junior. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the FIDE, appears to sponor the match himself. Of course this is all very moving, but I suspect that Chessbase would otherwise have donated the money. By the way, neither Ilyumzhinov nor Chessbase have responded to Rybka’s challenge about which we wrote before. Whether this is really surprising, I leave to the reader’s imagination.
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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. full story »

Spassky & Portisch level age and match

This weekend the two distinguished gentlemen Lajos Portisch and Boris Spassky played a six games rapid match against each other. Both are seventy years old and both scored three points. The match was held in the spa town of Hévíz (Hungary) which is located in the biggest thermal lake on earth (Hévíz means ‘warm, streaming spring’). The lake of Hévíz is warmed by a geothermical spring and its water is around 28°C all year long. But of course the two chess legends didn’t come there to just bob in the water. full story »

ACP reacts on proposal FIDE

The Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) has reacted on FIDE’s proposal for the world championship cycle. FIDE had chosen for ‘proposal A’, but accordig to the ACP this “cannot be treated as an improvement to the current situation”. Instead, the ACP prefers proposal B, in which the World Chess Cup, the World Chess Championship Tournament and the World Chess Championship Match are included. full story »

FIDE rejects bid Topalov/Danailov

FIDE has rejected the bid done by Topalov/Danailov to organize a rematch Kramnik-Topalov. The federation states that there’s nothing wrong with the 2 million dollar bank guarantee, for which the Bulgarians had to change banks last week to please FIDE, but that there’s simply no time. full story »

The blunder of Seville

Good news at the end of the year. Someone posted images on Youtube of the dramatic eleventh match game Karpov-Kasparov, Seville 1987! Kasparov’s faces after Karpov’s blunder 35.Rc6?? have become legendary but were not, as far as I know, available on internet before. full story »

Missed opportunity by Negi

Today Parimarjan Negi missed a big chance for the equaliser in his Amity Grandmaster Challenge versus Kateryna Lahno. In this position he played 28.Rg1? and the game ended in a draw after 28…Bxg1 29.Be6 Ng3+ 30.Kxg1 Ne2+ 31.Kf2 Nf4+ 32. Ke3 Nxe6 33.fxe6 Re8 34.Nf7+ Kg8 Nxh6+ Kh8 and a draw via perpetual. Do you see how White could have won? full story »

Hensel asks for disqualifying Topalov

Toiletgate is not over yet. Hell no. After some more serious Bulgarian allegations, Vladimir Kramnik and his manager Carsten Hensel had enough of it. Hensel has lodged a claim at FIDE, stating Topalov has been violating FIDE’s Code of Ethics, according to Sofia News Agency Novinite. Topalov’s potential punishment could involve a three year ban from professional chess. full story »

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