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"The world championship is a disputed title. You've got a situation
like boxing. Speaking as a member of the chess world, it's extremely
undignified."
1) Kasparov leads Deep Junior 2) Anand wins Corus 3) Seven way tie in Winter Tuesday Night Marathon 4) Sevillano wins Western Class Championship 5) Novikov, Rohde and Shchukin tie for first in Liberty Bell Open 6) MI Chess History CD: Volume 1 7) Upcoming events Note the Henry Gross Memorial (5 round; G/45) will be held this Saturday at the MI starting at 10 am. 1) Kasparov leads Deep JuniorGarry Kasparov leads the computer Deep Junior 1 1/2 - 1/2 in their six game match scheduled for January 26th-February 7th, in New York. The prize fund for the match is $1m with a $500,000 fee for Garry Kasparov, the other half being divided: $300,000 to the winner and $200,000 to the loser. Official Live coverage: http://www.x3dworld.com 2) Anand wins CorusThe 65th Corus Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee took place January 10th-26th and Viswanathan Anand continued his run of excellent results the past year. Judit Polgar had one of her best ever performances and raised her FIDE rating from 2700 to 2715. Steadily improving Evgeny Bareev had an incredibly combative event with eight decisive results. The failures of two of the four World Championship Candidates, Kramnik and Ponomariov, was noticeable. Final scores: 1 Anand (India) 8.5/13; 2 Polgar (Hungary) 8; 3 Bareev (Russia) 7.5; 4-8; Van Wely (Holland), Kramnik (Russia), Grischuk (Russia) Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Shirov (Spain) 7; 9-10 Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Topalov (Bulgaria) 6.5; 11-12 Ponomariov (Ukraine), Karpov (Russia) 6; 13 Krasenkow (Poland) 4.5; 14 Timman (Holland) 2.5;
J Polgar - V Anand 3) Seven way tie in Winter Tuesday Night MarathonThere is a seven-way tie for first at 3 1/2 from 4 at the midway point of the Tuesday Night Winter Marathon which features a record 81 entries including 9 players rated over 2200. The leaders are IM Walter Shipman, FM Frank Thornally, NMs Russell Wong, Rodolfo Hernandez and Egle Morkunaite, 12-year-old Expert Alex Setzepfandt who has beaten NM Igor Margulis and drawn NM Wong in the past two rounds, and Class A player George Sanguinetti. Here is an exciting battle from round four between 13-year-old Expert Nicolas Yap and veteran master David Blohm where Nicolas plays a new move (15.Nd5). This game reflects well on both players. The first time control was 30 moves in 90 minutes which means the players could have been in time pressure around move 25-30. These notes were written the morning after the game was played and should be considered preliminary.
N.Yap - D.Blohm 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qa5 8.0-0 0-0 9.Bb3 d6 10.h3 Bd7 11.f4 Qh5 12.Nf3 b5 13.a3 a5 14.Qd3 b4 More commonly seen is 14...a4, but the text might be better. 15.Nd5 A new try. 15.Ne2 bxa3 16.Ng3 axb2 17.Nxh5 bxa1Q 18.Rxa1 Nxh5 is an interesting queen sacrifice proposed by Blohm's teacher GM Roman Dzindzhihashvili.; 15.axb4 axb4 16.Rxa8 (16.Nd5 runs into 16...Rxa1 17.Rxa1 Bxh3) 16...Rxa8 17.Ne2 Qa5= Hector-Minzer, La Coruna 1995, allows Black to complete his plan of bringing the Queen back to the queenside. 15...a4?! 15...bxa3! 16.Rxa3 Nxd5 puts the onus on White as b2 is hanging. Note that 17.exd5 Nb4 wins serious material for Black. 16.Bc4 bxa3 17.Qxa3 Nxd5 17...Nxe4 18.Nb6 Rad8 19.Nxd7 Rxd7 20.Qxa4 is much better for White. 18.Bxd5 Rab8 19.c3 Rfc8 19...e6 was the best try with the idea 20.Qxd6 exd5 21.exd5 Bxh3 22.dxc6 Rxb2 23.gxh3 Qxh3 White should answer 19...e6 with 20.Ba2 and some advantage. 20.Rad1 The immediate 20.Ng5 looks stronger. 20...Be8 21.Ng5 Na5 22.e5 Qe2 23.Bd2 Nc4 24.Qa2 24.Bxc4 Qxc4 25.exd6 exd6 26.Bc1 d5 27.f5= 24...Rxb2? Fritz suggests the interesting line 24...Nxd2 25.Bxf7+ Bxf7 26.Qxf7+ Kh8 27.Qd5 Qe3+ 28.Kh1 Bxe5 29.Qxd2 Qxd2 30.Rxd2 Bf6 31.Ne6 a3 and Black is doing fine. 25.Bxc4 Rxd2 26.Qxd2? 26.Bxf7+ Bxf7 27.Qxf7+ Kh8 28.Rxd2 Qxd2 29.Qe6 Rf8 30.Nf7+ Rxf7 31.Qxf7 h6 32.Rb1 Kh7 33.Rb8 mating. Now Black gets ample compensation for the lost Exchange. 26...Qxd2 27.Rxd2 Rxc4 28.exd6 exd6 29.Rxd6 Bxc3 30.Rd8 Kf8 31.Ra8 1/2 - 1/2 Black could consider playing on with 31...h6 32.Nf3 Rxf4. 4) Sevillano wins Western Class ChampionshipFilipino IM Enrico Sevillano, based out of Las Vegas, won the Western Class Championships held January 17-20 in Los Angeles. Sevillano, who scored 5 1/2 from 7, defeated IM Igor Ivanov and GM Pavel Blatny and drew GM Alex Wojtkiewicz in the last three rounds. Tying for second at 5 were Ivanov, Blatny, Wojtkiewicz, and IMs Melikset Khachiyan and Tim Taylor. Several MI members made the trip south and turned in excellent performances. NM Vivek Nambiar, playing in the open section, defeated two 2300 players and drew IM Andrianov. 14-year-old Expert Matthew Ho scored 50 percent against 6 masters. Uri Andrews tied for first in the Expert section while Monty Peckham had 4 1/2 and Ricky Yu (playing up a class) had a respectable 3 from 7. Troy Pendergraft tied for first in Class B. Congratulations to all! A total of 236 players competed in the multi-section event organized by Bill Goichberg's Continental Chess Association. Note that another CCA event will be held in Southern California this weekend (see below under upcoming events). Adventurous souls who like events with quick time controls can play in two events in the Southland this weekend with the start of the doubleheader in Joshua Tree on Saturday (also below under upcoming events). 5) Novikov, Rohde and Shchukin tie for first in Liberty Bell OpenGMs Igor Novikov and Michael Rohde shared first place with NM Sergey Shchukin at 5 1/2 from 7 in the Liberty Bell Open held January 17-20 in Philadelphia. This was yet another triumph for the ultra-consistent Novikov while Rohde had his best result in a while with a victory over GM Ildar Ibragimov and draws with Novikov and GM Alexander Chernin. Shchukin, rated only 2246 going in, dropped a point and a half early but won his last four games to grab a share of top prize despite not playing anyone over 2414. A total of 346 players competed in the multi-section event organized by Bill Goichberg's Continental Chess Association 6) MI Chess History CD: Volume 1The staff of the Mechanics' Institute recently completed the first of a two volume series on the history of the Mechanics' Institute Chess Room. The fruits of their research are available on a CD which includes almost 90 pages of text, approximately 10 photos from the MI archives and over 150 games in ChessBase format. Visits of World Champions Lasker (twice), Capablanca, Alekhine (twice), and Euwe, are among the highlights. The price of the CD is $10 + $1 for shipping. To order, send a check payable to the Mechanics' Institute for $11 to: Mechanics' Institute, Room 408, 57 Post Street, San Francisco, CA, 94104. 7) Upcoming eventsNote: The MI will be starting monthly scholastic quads on Saturdays starting in January. See below. Upcoming Tournaments at the MI Full details at www.chessclub.org
Henry Gross Memorial: February 1, 2003 Scholastic Quad: February 22. Other Bay Area Events HOLY NAME CHESS FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY 1, 2003 AT HOLY NAME'S FLANAGAN
FORMAT: Sextangular round robin tournament, each player having 15 minutes
per game (g/15) .Each player will play all other 5 players in his group,
at the end the player with the most points will be the winner. In case
of a tie there will be a playoff game to determine the winner. 1:10 pm Tiebreaks will be held at 2pm if needed. -Round times are approximate. ENTRY FEE: $20 if received by 1/29, $30 thereafter. Last minute entries may have to be play other late entrants. On site registration: 2/1 9am-9:30 am PRIZES: Trophies to those who finish first in their sextangular tournament. All other players will receive participation prizes. INFO: GUILLERMO REY , 650-355-0305 OR REYG@IX.NETCOM.COM
REGISTRATION: CHECKS PAYABLE TO GUILLERMO REY- 435 FIRECREST AVE PACIFICA, CA. 94044 SETS AND BOARDS PROVIDED, BRING A CLOCK IF YOU HAVE ONE. NOT USCF RATED
Feb. 15-17. 30th Annual People's Chess Tournament. MLK Jr. Student Union, UC-Berkeley Campus.$$3,200 Gtd. in 5 sections. 6SS, 45/2, SD/1, Rds: 11-5:30, 10-4:30, 10-4:30 in Open, Expert, A & B 5SS, 45/90, SD/30, Rds: 11-3-7, 10-3 in Reserve. Open: $500-350-200, 1st U2300 $100. EF: $40. Expert: $300-150-75. EF: $39. Class A: $290-150-75. EF: $38. Class B: $280-140-70. EF: $37. Reserve: $200-125-50, U1400 $100-50. EF: $27. Reg: 9-10am on 2/15 or by mail by 2/8. $3 discount to CalChess Members, $5 discount to UC students. All ents. $5 more after 2/8. All players may play up one section for $5. Ent: ASUC/SPERB, 5 Eshleman Hall, #4500, Berkeley, CA 94720. TDs: Don Shennum and Brad Williams. Info: Don 510-524-5735, dshennum@yahoo.com. W.
Mar. 29-30. 2003 Central California Adult & Scholastic Chess Congress Open, Scholastic & Beginner Scholastic. Edison High School, Grant Taggart Gym, 1425 S. Center St., Stockton. Open: (G/2, 5 sec. delay) $$2,000 Gtd: $400-200, X, A, B, C, D, E, & Unr. $200 ea. Trophies to ea. 1st. EF: $35 by 3/28, at site $45. Late Reg. 8-9:30. Byes requested bef. Rd. 1 only. Rds: 10-2:15, 10-2:15. EF includes G/5 Bughouse, G/5 Blitz, G/10 Quick (Rated), Simultaneous & Blindfold challenge (limited 8 highest rated challengers). Trophy/Title prizes for all side events. Scholastic Championship: 5SS, G/1. 4 Sections: K-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12 (Trophies 10, 15, 15, 10 Resp.). EF: $20 by 3/28, at site $30. Late Reg. at site 8-9:30. Byes requested before Rd. 1 only. Rds: 10-1:15, 10-1:15,3:30. EF includes G/5 Bughouse, G/5 Blitz, G/10 Quick (Rated), Simultaneous. Trophy/Title Prize for all side events. Beginner Scholastic Championship: (3/29, Non Rated) 6SS, G/30. K-8. Certificates to all grade winners + participants. Free USCF membership to all scoring 4 or more pts. EF $10, $20 at site. Late Reg. at site 8-9:30. No byes. Only eligible Simultaneous. Rds: 10-11-12-1-2-3. Prizes all side events. Info: STKNCHES.go.cc or JacobGreen@msn.com. John Charles Barnard, 209-785-7895. 50 cents of ea entry donated to CalChess. Ent: Edison High School Chess Club, 1425 S. Center, Stockton CA 95206 W. Southern California
Feb. 1. Joshua Tree Winter Open 5SS, G/45. Faith Lutheran Church, 6336 Hallee Rd., Joshua Tree, CA 92252. $$Top 2 Gtd., class prizes b/30. Open: $200-100. Class A: $75-50. Class B: $75-50. Class C: $60-40. Class D: $60-40. Class E: $50-30. Unr: $30. EF: $30. Reg: 8-9:15, Rds: 9:30-11:30-2-3:45-5:30. Ent: Mark Muller, PO Box 502, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277. 760-367-2311. muller29@adelphia.net. W.
February 2
5-SS, G/45, Sheraton Pasadena Hotel (formerly Holiday
Inn), 303 E Cordova St, Pasadena 91101 (210 Freeway to
Fair Oaks, south on Marengo, left on Cordova.
$$G 2000. 3 sections.
April 11-13. Western Pacific Open 5SS, 3-day 40/2, SD/1, 2-day Rds. 1-2 G/75 then merges. LAX Radisson Hotel, 6225 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. $$10,000 b/200, 50% of each prize guaranteed. In 3 sections: Open: $1500-1000-800-400-200 plus $200 (G) bonus for clear 1st, U2400 $400-200, U2300 $200, U2200 $750-500-300. EF: $79 advance, $95 door, $30 more if rated U1800. Premier: (U2000) $750-500-300-100, U1800 $500-300-200. EF: $79 advance, $95 door, $30 more to U1400, no unrated. Amateur: (U1600) $400+trophy-250-100, U1400 $100+trophy-50, U1200 $100+trophy, Unr. $100+trophy, unrated may win unrated prize only. EF: $64 advance, $75 door. Reg: 5:30-6:30pm 4/11, 8:30-10am 4/12. Rds: 3-day 7 p.m., 11-5:30, 10-4:30. 2-day: 10:30-1:30 (G/75), then merges. All: $50 Best Game prize, all sections eligible. One 1/2-pt. bye Rds. 1-3 if requested with ent. SCCF membership req. of rated S. Cal. res., $12 reg, $7.50 Jr. No credit card entries. No checks at door. HR: $84, 310-670-9000, mention chess. Parking: $5/day. Info: Mike Carr, 949-768-3538, mrcarr@pacbell.net; John Hillery admin@westernchess.com. Web site: www.westernchess.com. Ent: SCCF, c/o John Hillery, 835 N. Wilton Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90038. State Championship Qualifier. FIDE. International Events BERMUDA The 1st Pan American Amateur Championship will be held at the elegant Fairmont Southampton from 27th January to 5th February 2003. It will be nine rounds plus a rest day and will be held alongside two GM Invitational Tournaments (Cat XV and X). The rate of play will be 150 plus 30 seconds per move. It is open to players under 2000 FIDE or no FIDE rating at all. Each Federation in the Americas is allowed to nominate two players who do not have to pay an entry fee, otherwise entry fee is $150 per player. It will be followed by the 20th Bermuda Open from 6th to 9th February. Rooms are $125 per night plus taxes etc. for one or two people, a third person in a room would be an extra $30 plus taxes. etc To book rooms contact the Fairmont Southampton on 1-800-441-1414 or 1-441-238-8000, mentioning "PanAmerican Amateur Chess." Details/Info: www.Bermuda.bm/chess or Nigel Freeman 441-234-2322, cadilly@ibl.bm or Carol Jarecki 917-690-8566, cjareck@attglobal.net. |