Ni Hua wins in Reggio Emilia

Almasi started with 4/4, but a round before the end first seed Ni Hua aready secured first place at this year’s Torneo di Capodanno in Reggio Emilia. The Chinese GM scored 7.5/9 and a performance rating of 2834. Read more

Two more fighting draws in Ivanchuk-Leko

After two more fighting draws the score is still level in the 6-game rapid match between Ivanchuk and Leko in Mukachevo, Ukraine. Again, in one of the games Ivanchuk probably missed a win. Read more

Carlsen and Svidler qualify for final

After six rounds Carlsen, Nakamura and Svidler had all collected four points (Lie lost all six games) and so a playoff was needed to determine the finalists of the Aker Chess Challenge. Not in top form in the blitz session, Nakamura lost both to Carlsen and Svidler, who thus qualified for tomorrow’s final. Read more

Rematch Ivanchuk-Leko starts with two draws

From 3rd to 5th January, Vassily Ivanchuk and Peter Leko are playing a 6-game rapid match in Mukachevo, Ukraine. It’s a return match of a previous encounter between the two, in October 2007, that ended in 6-6 after which Ivanchuk won the blitz tiebreak. Yesterday the first two games ended in a draw. In the first Ivanchuk missed a clear win in the ending. Read more

Svidler leads after first two days in Gjøvik

Russian GM Peter Svidler started the Aker Chess Challenge, a rapid event that’s part of the International Chess Festival in Gjøvik (Norway), with two wins and two draws. Carlsen and Nakamura follow on 2.5/4 while Lie lost his first four games. Read more

Weekly Endgame Study (102) & Corus Chess and Studies Day

Every Saturday an endgame study is published at ChessVibes, selected by IM Yochanan Afek: player, trainer, endgame study composer and writer. Today we also announce the Corus Chess and Studies Day on Saturday, January 31st. Read more

Grandmaster norms in Groningen

This year’s Chess Festival in Groningen was won by GMs Merab Gagunashvili and Arkadij Rotstein, and Dutch IM Robin Swinkels. The latter scored a GM norm and so did 14-year-old (FM!) Anish Giri - it was his second already. Jan Smeets won a minimatch against Jan Werle 2.5-1.5. Read more

Annual Survey 2008: a year in videos

2008 was not just another year. It was the year in which Bobby Fischer passed away, it was the end of the Kramnik era, and we saw the birth of both the Grand Prix and the Grand Slam. Like we did on December 31 last year and the year before, here’s our (by now traditional) annual survey, with our best videos of 2008. Read more

Topalov tops January rating list at 2796

He won 5 points in Dresden and although he’s still waiting for his 13 points gained at the Pearl Spring tournament in Nanjing, Veselin Topalov tops the January 2009 FIDE rating list at 2796. In October in Bonn, World Champion Anand won 8 rating points to climb back to 2nd, while Kramnik dropped to 8th place. Behind Ivanchuk (3rd) and Carlsen (4th) there’s Morozevich on 5th (dropping from 2nd), followed by Radjabov and Jakovenko on 6th and 7th place. Read more

Sasikiran wins 18th Ciudad de Pamplona

In a tournament chuck full of great chess games, Indian grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran won the 8th Ciudad de Pamplona with 5/7 ahead of Malakhov and Vallejo. The Indian’s expected rating change is +17 which will make him a 2711 player in a few days, and in Pamplona he won another 10 points! Read more

Another strong start for Almasi in Reggio Emilia

He’s defending his title and he started this year’s Torneo di Capodanno with three wins. Zoltan Almasi leads in Reggio Emilia, ahead of Ni Hua, Dreev and Gustafsson. Read more

Jakovenko, Grischuk and Radjabov share first prize in Elista

All would be decided in the final round, but in the top of the standings nothing changed: Jakovenko (who drew with Alekseev) and Grischuk & Radjabov (who drew with each other) finished shared first at the 3rd Grand Prix in Elista. In the last round Eljanov scored the only win, against Inarkiev. Read more

Kasimdzhanov again only winner in Elista

Even quicker than yesterday the score in Elista saw six draws, and again Kasimdzhanov was the only winner, this time against Cheparinov. Jakovenko, Grischuk and Radjabov still lead going into the final, decisive round. Read more

50th anniversary Europe-Echecs

Not many chess magazines can boast about such a longstanding history as the French monthly Europe Echecs. The January 2009 issue celebrates half a century of chess news and stories in the French language, with 100 pages of looking back. Read more

Kasimdzhanov scores only win in 11th round Grand Prix

After so much excitement on Thursday, the 11th round of the Elista Grand Prix could be described as the round of missed chances. Many favourable endings were not won and in the end it was only Kasimdzhanov who scored a win, with Black against Inarkiev. Jakovenko, Grischuk and Radjabov still lead with just two rounds to go. Read more

Great win brings Caruana next to Vallejo

Francisco Vallejo Pons and Fabiano Caruana are leading with 2/3 in a strong round-robin that’s currently taking place in Pamplona, Spain. In the third round Caruana beat Vallejo - a great game that deserves a separate post here. Read more

Radjabov and Jakovenko join Grischuk

On a rare occasion of top level chess on Christmas day there was more fighting spirit than ever which resulted in the best round so far in Elista. Radjabov defeated Alekseev to join Grischuk in the lead. So did Jakovenko, who won against Inarkiev. Gashimov dropped to 4th place after losing to Leko, Cheparinov beat Akopian and Mamedyarov defeated Eljanov.
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Christmas Chess

Christmas is a time for trees, presents, families, holidays, old men in red suits, snow, reindeer, and… chess. For anybody who wants to focus on that last one, here’s an overview of all tournaments that are taking place this period. Read more

ACP: “Players’ rights have been neglected”

In a new press release the Association of Chess Professionals calls for an “even higher standard of management” and recommends tournament organizers to “act carefully when announcing events which are not completely guaranteed yet.” They argue that by kicking Al Modiahki and Pelletier out of the Grand Prix, “players’ rights have been neglected”.
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Elista R9: Gashimov rejoins Grischuk

After co-winning the first Grand Prix as the nominated player in Baku, Vuigar Gashimov is also a serious candidate for winning the third, in Elista. Today he trapped Mamedyarov’s queen and rejoined Grischuk in the lead, with 6.0/9. Overall leader Wang Yue beat Cheparinov while Kasimdzhanov lost again, to Jakovenko. Read more

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