The World Championship match between the 15th undisputed World Champion, Anand, and the 18th FIDE World Champion and one-time challenger, Veselin Topalov has been announced to take place in the challenger's home country of Bulgaria from April 23rd to May 11th 2010, chessbase has reported.
I believe this is the first time that FIDE has organized a tournament in a home country of one of the paricpiants, although there have been several instances in the pre FIDE days where this was done (1921 Lasker-Capablanca was in Cuba, 1935 Euwe--Alekhine was in the Netherlands). Also when Kasparov and Short broke away from FIDE and organized the match on their own it was held in England, Short's home country, however all three of those were when the two players together organized a match, rather than FIDE organizing it for them.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
London Classic, Final. Great performances by under-20.
Magnus Carlsen managed to hang on for draws in his last two games, and finished with three wins, four draws, or 13 points, just a point ahead of Vladimir Kramnik, who had three wins, three draws (and a loss). More importantly however, with 5.0/7, Carlsen improves to 2810 for the January 2010 FIDE and at 19 will become the youngest player ever to be ranked #1 on the FIDE list.
Other great players have also been top players as teenagers.
Rusian Ponomarov won the 2001-2002 FIDE World Championship knock-out tournament with a total score of 13.5/21 when he was only 18. He found himself invited to several super-tournaments and performed adquately but not at the level of a world champion. Linares 2002 (6.5/12, 2nd), Corus 2003 (6.0/13, 11th-12th), Linares 2003 (5.5/12, 5th). He was ranked as high as 4th on chessmetrics before his 20th birthday.
Vladimir Kramnik qualified for both the PCA candidates and the FIDE candidates cycles of 1993-1996, scoring 8.5/13 at FIDE (2nd-9th), and 7.0/11 at PCA (3rd-7th). He was eliminated at the quarter-final level in both tournaments. He played in two super tournaments, Linares 1993 (5th 7.5/13), and Linares 1994 (5th-6th 7.0/13). He was ranked as high as 5th on chessmetrics before his 20th birthday.
Gata Kamsky also qualified for the PCA candidates and FIDE candidates cycles of 1993-1996 also scoring 8.5/13 and 7.0/11 in the two interzonals, he only progressed to the quarter-final stage before his 20th birthday but was able to go on much further, reaching the final candidates match for PCA and the world championship match for FIDE. Kamsky also participated in the 1990 Interzonal (5.5/13, 48th-54th), making him only one of two teenagers to partifcipate in two world championship cycles at the interzonal level.
Vassily Ivanchuk failed to play in an Interzonal before his 20th birthday but did participate in two super tournaments, the 1988 USSR championship (9.5/17), and more spectactularly, winning the 1989 Linares just before his 20th birthday (7.5/10). His highest world ranking was #3.
According to Chess Metrics, Kasparov become the world's #1 player at 19 years 7 months thanks to sharing 1st place at the 1981 USSR Zonal (12.5/17) strong performance at the super tournament Bugojno (9.5/13), his win at the even stronger Interzonal (10.0/13), and his dominating performance at his quarter-final match with Alexander Beliavsky (6.5-3.5)
Bobby Fischer only reached as high as #4 by his 20th birthday, although he has the most impressive world championship and super-tournament resume. Fischer won the US Zonal in 1957 at the age of 14 (10.5/13), and then qualified for the Candidates in 1958 (5th-6th 12.0/20). In the 1959 Candidates he again shared 5th-6th with 12.5/28. In 1960, he again won his Zonal (9.0/11), this time winning the Interzonal (17.5/22), but only managed to place 4th at the candidates (14.0/27). He also got 2nd place at the super tournament in Bled in 1961, all this before the age of 20.
Boris Spassky also participated in one cycle before his 20th birthday and also got as far as the Candidates tournament. He earned a share of 3rd-6th in the USSR Zonal (11.5/19), hung on to one of the last spots in the Interzonal (7th-9th, 11.0/20), and shared 3rd place at the Candidates tournament (3rd-7th 9.5/18). He was ranked 7th for one month before his 20th birthday.
So Carlsen will become the 7th player to qualify as a Candidate (I'd rank Ponomarev's accomplishment equivalant to being a candidate) for the world championship before his 20th birthday, he'll be only the 3rd person to reach the Interzonal level twice (his loss in semi-finals in the matches in 2006 is roughly equivalant to Interzonal players in Fischer's day) and if the Candidates tournament is held before November 2010 (Carlsen's 20th birthday), he'll have a chance to become the first teenager to qualify for a unified world championship match.
Other great players have also been top players as teenagers.
Rusian Ponomarov won the 2001-2002 FIDE World Championship knock-out tournament with a total score of 13.5/21 when he was only 18. He found himself invited to several super-tournaments and performed adquately but not at the level of a world champion. Linares 2002 (6.5/12, 2nd), Corus 2003 (6.0/13, 11th-12th), Linares 2003 (5.5/12, 5th). He was ranked as high as 4th on chessmetrics before his 20th birthday.
Vladimir Kramnik qualified for both the PCA candidates and the FIDE candidates cycles of 1993-1996, scoring 8.5/13 at FIDE (2nd-9th), and 7.0/11 at PCA (3rd-7th). He was eliminated at the quarter-final level in both tournaments. He played in two super tournaments, Linares 1993 (5th 7.5/13), and Linares 1994 (5th-6th 7.0/13). He was ranked as high as 5th on chessmetrics before his 20th birthday.
Gata Kamsky also qualified for the PCA candidates and FIDE candidates cycles of 1993-1996 also scoring 8.5/13 and 7.0/11 in the two interzonals, he only progressed to the quarter-final stage before his 20th birthday but was able to go on much further, reaching the final candidates match for PCA and the world championship match for FIDE. Kamsky also participated in the 1990 Interzonal (5.5/13, 48th-54th), making him only one of two teenagers to partifcipate in two world championship cycles at the interzonal level.
Vassily Ivanchuk failed to play in an Interzonal before his 20th birthday but did participate in two super tournaments, the 1988 USSR championship (9.5/17), and more spectactularly, winning the 1989 Linares just before his 20th birthday (7.5/10). His highest world ranking was #3.
According to Chess Metrics, Kasparov become the world's #1 player at 19 years 7 months thanks to sharing 1st place at the 1981 USSR Zonal (12.5/17) strong performance at the super tournament Bugojno (9.5/13), his win at the even stronger Interzonal (10.0/13), and his dominating performance at his quarter-final match with Alexander Beliavsky (6.5-3.5)
Bobby Fischer only reached as high as #4 by his 20th birthday, although he has the most impressive world championship and super-tournament resume. Fischer won the US Zonal in 1957 at the age of 14 (10.5/13), and then qualified for the Candidates in 1958 (5th-6th 12.0/20). In the 1959 Candidates he again shared 5th-6th with 12.5/28. In 1960, he again won his Zonal (9.0/11), this time winning the Interzonal (17.5/22), but only managed to place 4th at the candidates (14.0/27). He also got 2nd place at the super tournament in Bled in 1961, all this before the age of 20.
Boris Spassky also participated in one cycle before his 20th birthday and also got as far as the Candidates tournament. He earned a share of 3rd-6th in the USSR Zonal (11.5/19), hung on to one of the last spots in the Interzonal (7th-9th, 11.0/20), and shared 3rd place at the Candidates tournament (3rd-7th 9.5/18). He was ranked 7th for one month before his 20th birthday.
So Carlsen will become the 7th player to qualify as a Candidate (I'd rank Ponomarev's accomplishment equivalant to being a candidate) for the world championship before his 20th birthday, he'll be only the 3rd person to reach the Interzonal level twice (his loss in semi-finals in the matches in 2006 is roughly equivalant to Interzonal players in Fischer's day) and if the Candidates tournament is held before November 2010 (Carlsen's 20th birthday), he'll have a chance to become the first teenager to qualify for a unified world championship match.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Grand Prix
Levon Aronian has already clinched overall victory in the 2008-2009 Grand Prix as well as a spot in the 2010 Candidates, but it is still possible for eight different players to win the second spot, assuming of course that the sixth event is actually played
There are six events (five have been played) in the FIDE Grand Prix. Each contender plays in four events, with the top three counting. The 4th event is used only in tie-breaks.
The current leader for the last spot is Alexander Grischuk with 363.3 points and 45 on the 1st tie-breaker. He has played in all four of his events and cannot improve, so he is not the likely candidate.
The candidate with the best chance is Radjabov who also has 363.3 points. Radjabov can pass Grishcuk with just a 10th place finish in the last grand prix event, a feat he should be able to do easily and can clinch overall victory by winning a share of 1st place. Only Wang will be able to pass him if he wins clear 2nd place, and only Wang and Gashimov will be able to pass him if he scores clear 3rd or ties for 2nd-5th.
Yue Wang currently has 353.3 points and is the only other candidate who controls his own destiny. Winning clear 1st in the last GP event would give him enough GP and tie-break points to get overall 2nd place. A tie for first would give Wang the spot as long as Radjabov did not also tie for first. However, even a 3rd place finish would leave the door open for several other players if they happened to win the event. At the very least, Wang must finish in at least 6th (or 5th-7th) place or he will not have enough points to pass Grischuk.
Gashimov has 328.3 points and can gain up to 115 with a clear win in the last event. Gashimov can win by winning clear 1st place as long as Radjabov does not get clear 2nd. A 3rd place finish may lead to victory, but only if Radjabov finishes in the bottom half, and none of the other contenders score ahead of him. Gashimov can score no worse than 5th (or 4th-6th) to keep his hopes alive.
Leko has 320 points but can only gain 100 points with a clear win in the last event, which gives him, at best, an outside shot to win 2nd place overall. A clear win would force Radjabov to win 3rd-4th in order to beat him. 3rd place only just moves Leko past Grischuk (370 points) so everything would have to go perfectly if Leko were to get only 3rd place.
Jakovenko has a lot fewer points 278.3, but is actually in a slightly better position than Leko as he can gain up to 145 points, giving him a slightly higher potential maximum. He needs to win at least 2nd-5th (122.5) in order to earn enough points to stay alive.
Ivanchuk has fewer points still with 265.0 but can gain up to 160 points with a win in the grand prix, which actually puts him in the best position of the three (Leko, Jakovenko, and Ivanchuk). Winning 3rd-4th (120.0) earns Ivanchuk just enough points to slip by Grischuk.
Mamedyarov has a mathematical chance of catching Grischuk with 245 points and the potential to win 125. Clear 1st place will bring him up to 370, passing Grischuk, however everything would have to go right with no other contenders earning more than 370 points.
Summary:
Favorite: Radjabov
Contenders: Wang, Gashimov
Pretenders: Ivanchuk, Jakovenko, Leko
Longshots: Grischuk, Mamedyarov
There are six events (five have been played) in the FIDE Grand Prix. Each contender plays in four events, with the top three counting. The 4th event is used only in tie-breaks.
The current leader for the last spot is Alexander Grischuk with 363.3 points and 45 on the 1st tie-breaker. He has played in all four of his events and cannot improve, so he is not the likely candidate.
The candidate with the best chance is Radjabov who also has 363.3 points. Radjabov can pass Grishcuk with just a 10th place finish in the last grand prix event, a feat he should be able to do easily and can clinch overall victory by winning a share of 1st place. Only Wang will be able to pass him if he wins clear 2nd place, and only Wang and Gashimov will be able to pass him if he scores clear 3rd or ties for 2nd-5th.
Yue Wang currently has 353.3 points and is the only other candidate who controls his own destiny. Winning clear 1st in the last GP event would give him enough GP and tie-break points to get overall 2nd place. A tie for first would give Wang the spot as long as Radjabov did not also tie for first. However, even a 3rd place finish would leave the door open for several other players if they happened to win the event. At the very least, Wang must finish in at least 6th (or 5th-7th) place or he will not have enough points to pass Grischuk.
Gashimov has 328.3 points and can gain up to 115 with a clear win in the last event. Gashimov can win by winning clear 1st place as long as Radjabov does not get clear 2nd. A 3rd place finish may lead to victory, but only if Radjabov finishes in the bottom half, and none of the other contenders score ahead of him. Gashimov can score no worse than 5th (or 4th-6th) to keep his hopes alive.
Leko has 320 points but can only gain 100 points with a clear win in the last event, which gives him, at best, an outside shot to win 2nd place overall. A clear win would force Radjabov to win 3rd-4th in order to beat him. 3rd place only just moves Leko past Grischuk (370 points) so everything would have to go perfectly if Leko were to get only 3rd place.
Jakovenko has a lot fewer points 278.3, but is actually in a slightly better position than Leko as he can gain up to 145 points, giving him a slightly higher potential maximum. He needs to win at least 2nd-5th (122.5) in order to earn enough points to stay alive.
Ivanchuk has fewer points still with 265.0 but can gain up to 160 points with a win in the grand prix, which actually puts him in the best position of the three (Leko, Jakovenko, and Ivanchuk). Winning 3rd-4th (120.0) earns Ivanchuk just enough points to slip by Grischuk.
Mamedyarov has a mathematical chance of catching Grischuk with 245 points and the potential to win 125. Clear 1st place will bring him up to 370, passing Grischuk, however everything would have to go right with no other contenders earning more than 370 points.
Summary:
Favorite: Radjabov
Contenders: Wang, Gashimov
Pretenders: Ivanchuk, Jakovenko, Leko
Longshots: Grischuk, Mamedyarov
World Cup: Finals
In the end, Boris Gelfand prevailed. All four games in regular time were draws, which meant that the match went to tie-breaks. Gelfand scored a win with the white pieces in the second rapid game. After the third game was a draw, Ponomarev was forced to play for a win with the black pieces in game four which he did! A two-game blitz match was played to try and break the tie. Gelfand won the 1st game, forcing to Ponomarev to win the second game (this time with white), which he did again, forcing another two-game blitz match. Gelfand won game 3, which finally held up as Ponomarev went down in defeat in game 4. Gelfand won the blitz match 3-1, winning a spot in the 2010 Candidates tournament, which will determine a challenger for the world champion in 2011.
Probable Candidates Tournament:
Gata Kamsky (loser of Topalov-Kamsky)
Levon Aronian (winner of 2008-2009 Grand Prix)
Boris Gelfand (winner of 2009 World Cup)
Magnus Carlsen (rating wildcard)
Vladimir Kramnik (2nd rating wildcard)
Visi Anand or Veselin Topalov (loser of Anand-Topalov match)
2nd place finisher of Grand Prix
Nominee of Host Nation (min 2700 FIDE)
Probable Candidates Tournament:
Gata Kamsky (loser of Topalov-Kamsky)
Levon Aronian (winner of 2008-2009 Grand Prix)
Boris Gelfand (winner of 2009 World Cup)
Magnus Carlsen (rating wildcard)
Vladimir Kramnik (2nd rating wildcard)
Visi Anand or Veselin Topalov (loser of Anand-Topalov match)
2nd place finisher of Grand Prix
Nominee of Host Nation (min 2700 FIDE)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
London Classic, Round 3
I was watching the London Classic games on ICC. It seemed that Carlsen was headed for his third straight win, up an exchange, a pawn, and a half hour on time against the lowest seed David Howell, however instead of trading rooks and going into a rook vs. a strong knight endgame, Carlsen kept the material on the board and ended up losing two pawns in the complications. A draw then became inevitable.
Carlsen still leads the event, both by conventional scoring (2.5/3) and by the Bilbao scoring (7), but Kramnik won his second game in a row and is now close behind (2.0/3) and 6.
Luke McShane is in last place from conventional scoring (1.0 with 1 Tie-break point), but is actually in 3rd place in Bilbao scoring with 3 Points where the first-tie breaker is # of wins. Since McShane is the only player aside from Kramnik and Carlsen with a win, he's currently in 3rd place!
Carlsen still leads the event, both by conventional scoring (2.5/3) and by the Bilbao scoring (7), but Kramnik won his second game in a row and is now close behind (2.0/3) and 6.
Luke McShane is in last place from conventional scoring (1.0 with 1 Tie-break point), but is actually in 3rd place in Bilbao scoring with 3 Points where the first-tie breaker is # of wins. Since McShane is the only player aside from Kramnik and Carlsen with a win, he's currently in 3rd place!
London Classic, Round 2
Carlsen wins again!
Carlsen scored his second win by defeating one of the lower seeds, Luke McShane. Carlsen faces off against the bottom seed David Howell today.
If Carlsen manages to draw every game, he should manage to just cosat into the #1 rating spot, having the same rating as Topalov but having a higher # of games.
Carlsen scored his second win by defeating one of the lower seeds, Luke McShane. Carlsen faces off against the bottom seed David Howell today.
If Carlsen manages to draw every game, he should manage to just cosat into the #1 rating spot, having the same rating as Topalov but having a higher # of games.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
London Classic, Round 1
Carlsen got off to a good start in the London classic by defeating his main rival Kramnik in the very first round. In his six remaining games he has white against McShane (who won a marathon 163-move game against Nigel Short), Nakamura, Adams, and black against Howell, Hua, and Short.
The favorable draw gives Carlsen good chances to score the needed 4.5/7 (or 5.0/7) and hold on to the #1 ranking.
Thank goodness we live in an era without adjournments, under the old time control of 40 moves in 150 minutes, 16 moves in 60 minutes, there would have been adjournments after 40, 72, 104, and 136 moves. A 163-move game could have taken five days to play!
The favorable draw gives Carlsen good chances to score the needed 4.5/7 (or 5.0/7) and hold on to the #1 ranking.
Thank goodness we live in an era without adjournments, under the old time control of 40 moves in 150 minutes, 16 moves in 60 minutes, there would have been adjournments after 40, 72, 104, and 136 moves. A 163-move game could have taken five days to play!
World Cup: Round 6, Tie-breaks
Ponomariov defeated Malakhov 3-1 in the tie-breaks to become the second finalist in the world cup. Now he'll have a much needed rest day, the 4 game final starts tomorrow.
In a way, Gelfand--Ponomariov is like a preliminary Candidates Match. The match length (4 games) will be the same as the quarter-final matches next year, and the winner will move on to the quarter-finals while the loser will lose his last chance to become world champion in this cycle.
As a young teenager, Ponomariov played in the 1999 (2nd round) and 2000 (1st round) knock-outs, but never got very far, however in 2001-2, he beat Bareev in the quarter-finals on tie-breaks, beat Svidler 2.5-1.5 in the semi-finals, and a month later decisively defeated Ivanchuk in the final 4.5-2.5 to become FIDE champion.
He did not play in the 2004 World Championships, but did participate in the 2005 World Cup where he finished 2nd, qualifying him for the candidates matches. In his first candidate match he lost to Rublevsky 3.5-2.5, eliminating him from the 2007 cycle.
He made another run in 2007, but was stopped in the quarter-finals by the eventual winner Kamsky.
Gelfand's world championship experience goes all the way back to 1990, where he scored 1st-2nd in the Manilla Interzonal qualifying him for the candidates. He won his first candidates match on tie-breaks but lost to the eventual winner of candidates cycle, Nigel Short.
In 1993, he participated in the FIDE world championship event and finished clear 1st. In his quarter-final match he defeated Michael Adams 5.0-3.0 and Vladimir Kramnik 4.5-3.5, but lost decisively in his match against Karpov 6.0-3.0 (in this cycle, Karpov had to defeat both Gelfand and Kamsky to remain champion. In the knock-out tournaments, he reached the semi-finals in 1997 (knocked-out by qualifying event Anand), round of 16 in 1999 (knocked-out by winner Khalifman), round of 16 in 2000 (knocked-out by runner-up Shirov), quarter-finalist in 2002 (lost to Svidler), quarter-finalist in 2004 (lost to winner Kasimdzhanov)
In 2005, Gelfand scored 6th place in the world cup, qualifying him for the 6-game candidates matches. Gelfand defeated Kasimdzhanov on tie-breaks and then defeated Kamsky decisively 3.5-1.5 to qualify for the round-robin world championship final. He tied for 2nd place with 8.0/14. Gelfand elected not to play in the 2007 world cup (the first knock-out he has missed).
From sheer experience alone, Gelfand has the edge. Ponomariov is fifteen years younger which favors him since this has been a long tournament. It will be an interesting match. I favor Gelfand overall in regular time.
In a way, Gelfand--Ponomariov is like a preliminary Candidates Match. The match length (4 games) will be the same as the quarter-final matches next year, and the winner will move on to the quarter-finals while the loser will lose his last chance to become world champion in this cycle.
As a young teenager, Ponomariov played in the 1999 (2nd round) and 2000 (1st round) knock-outs, but never got very far, however in 2001-2, he beat Bareev in the quarter-finals on tie-breaks, beat Svidler 2.5-1.5 in the semi-finals, and a month later decisively defeated Ivanchuk in the final 4.5-2.5 to become FIDE champion.
He did not play in the 2004 World Championships, but did participate in the 2005 World Cup where he finished 2nd, qualifying him for the candidates matches. In his first candidate match he lost to Rublevsky 3.5-2.5, eliminating him from the 2007 cycle.
He made another run in 2007, but was stopped in the quarter-finals by the eventual winner Kamsky.
Gelfand's world championship experience goes all the way back to 1990, where he scored 1st-2nd in the Manilla Interzonal qualifying him for the candidates. He won his first candidates match on tie-breaks but lost to the eventual winner of candidates cycle, Nigel Short.
In 1993, he participated in the FIDE world championship event and finished clear 1st. In his quarter-final match he defeated Michael Adams 5.0-3.0 and Vladimir Kramnik 4.5-3.5, but lost decisively in his match against Karpov 6.0-3.0 (in this cycle, Karpov had to defeat both Gelfand and Kamsky to remain champion. In the knock-out tournaments, he reached the semi-finals in 1997 (knocked-out by qualifying event Anand), round of 16 in 1999 (knocked-out by winner Khalifman), round of 16 in 2000 (knocked-out by runner-up Shirov), quarter-finalist in 2002 (lost to Svidler), quarter-finalist in 2004 (lost to winner Kasimdzhanov)
In 2005, Gelfand scored 6th place in the world cup, qualifying him for the 6-game candidates matches. Gelfand defeated Kasimdzhanov on tie-breaks and then defeated Kamsky decisively 3.5-1.5 to qualify for the round-robin world championship final. He tied for 2nd place with 8.0/14. Gelfand elected not to play in the 2007 world cup (the first knock-out he has missed).
From sheer experience alone, Gelfand has the edge. Ponomariov is fifteen years younger which favors him since this has been a long tournament. It will be an interesting match. I favor Gelfand overall in regular time.
Monday, December 7, 2009
London Classic
The 8-player round robin London classic kicks off tomorrow. The top participants are Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik, but also on hand is US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, Chinese top player Ni Hua, and four of the leading English grandmasters, Nigel Short, Michael Adams, Luke McShane, and David Howell.
Barring a complete meltdown, Kramnik and Carlsen are pretty much assured of remaning in the top 2 rating wildcard spots for the Candidates match next year, so the main question is if Carlsen can become the official #1 rated player in January 2010. Right now he leads Topalov by less than a point (2805.7-2805.1). According to my calculations, if he scores 4.5/7 he'll lose 1.1 rating points, falling to 2804.6. Since these both round to 2805, he might still get the #1 rating because the first tie-breaker is # of games played, but I'm not sure about that. If he scores 5.0/7 then he'll gain 3.9 points and have the #1 spot outright.
Barring a complete meltdown, Kramnik and Carlsen are pretty much assured of remaning in the top 2 rating wildcard spots for the Candidates match next year, so the main question is if Carlsen can become the official #1 rated player in January 2010. Right now he leads Topalov by less than a point (2805.7-2805.1). According to my calculations, if he scores 4.5/7 he'll lose 1.1 rating points, falling to 2804.6. Since these both round to 2805, he might still get the #1 rating because the first tie-breaker is # of games played, but I'm not sure about that. If he scores 5.0/7 then he'll gain 3.9 points and have the #1 spot outright.
ICC Results
For the first time in weeks I spent some time on ICC. The results weren't pretty:
5-min: 3-3, rating from 1692 to 1688
1-min: 1-5, rating from 1659 to 1563
One standard game: 20/10 In an effort to win a pawn, a mouse slip on 30th move, I gave up a queen.
[Event "ICC 20 10"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.12.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Rookie123"]
[Black "klizzaus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1888"]
[BlackElo "1780"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Canal-Sokolsky attack, 3...Bd7"]
[ECO "B52"]
[NIC "SI.01"]
[Time "18:42:01"]
[TimeControl "1200+10"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Qg4
8. h3 Qg6 9. Qa4 Nd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 e6 12. Nc3 Be7 13. d5 Nce5 14.
Nxe5 dxe5 15. Nb5 O-O 16. Nc7?? Rac8?? 17. Qxd7 Bb4 18. Re2?? Rfd8 19. Qb5 Bd6 20.
Rc2 Rxc7 21. Rxc7 Bxc7 22. Qxb7 Bb6 23. d6 Rxd6 24. Qb8+?? Rd8 25. Qxe5 Rd1+
26. Kh2 h6 27. b3? Bxf2 28. g4 Re1 29. Bb2 Re2 30. Kh1 Qf5?? 31. gxf5 1-0 Black resigned.
Lots of double question-marks. I meant of course 30...Qxe4+, and black is up a pawn in a rook and minor piece endgame.
5-min: 3-3, rating from 1692 to 1688
1-min: 1-5, rating from 1659 to 1563
One standard game: 20/10 In an effort to win a pawn, a mouse slip on 30th move, I gave up a queen.
[Event "ICC 20 10"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.12.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Rookie123"]
[Black "klizzaus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[WhiteElo "1888"]
[BlackElo "1780"]
[Opening "Sicilian: Canal-Sokolsky attack, 3...Bd7"]
[ECO "B52"]
[NIC "SI.01"]
[Time "18:42:01"]
[TimeControl "1200+10"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 Qg4
8. h3 Qg6 9. Qa4 Nd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 e6 12. Nc3 Be7 13. d5 Nce5 14.
Nxe5 dxe5 15. Nb5 O-O 16. Nc7?? Rac8?? 17. Qxd7 Bb4 18. Re2?? Rfd8 19. Qb5 Bd6 20.
Rc2 Rxc7 21. Rxc7 Bxc7 22. Qxb7 Bb6 23. d6 Rxd6 24. Qb8+?? Rd8 25. Qxe5 Rd1+
26. Kh2 h6 27. b3? Bxf2 28. g4 Re1 29. Bb2 Re2 30. Kh1 Qf5?? 31. gxf5 1-0 Black resigned.
Lots of double question-marks. I meant of course 30...Qxe4+, and black is up a pawn in a rook and minor piece endgame.
World Cup: Round 6, Day 2
Gelfand defeated Karjakin again to win his mini-match 2-0, this means he'll get two rest days before the start of the final four-game match.
Ponomariov and Malakhov drew again, which means they'll go to tie-breakers tomorrow. I think Ponomariov will be victorious, but I've already been wrong about Malakhov twice, once against So (round of 16), and once against Svidler (quarter-finals).
Ponomariov and Malakhov drew again, which means they'll go to tie-breakers tomorrow. I think Ponomariov will be victorious, but I've already been wrong about Malakhov twice, once against So (round of 16), and once against Svidler (quarter-finals).
World Amateur Championship Announced
Chicago, IL will be hosting the World Amateur Championships on March 19-25th. In many ways, it is similar to the annual US Open. It is a nine-round tournament stretched over seven days with a $20,000 min prize fund. The entry fee ($120) is very similar to the US Open ($125).
The main difference is that this is an Amateur championship, so only players rated 2000 FIDE or lower are allowed to play (I'm eligible since my FIDE is 1912). The winner gets an automatic 2200 FIDE rating and the FM title.
As with any FIDE championship it seems, there's a few things that are weird with this tournament.
1) Why is it only eligible to <2000 FIDE players, and the ultimate reward is the FM title? That would be like a US tournament for A-players and below, the winner getting the national master title! It seems like the Amateur championships should be open to anyone who is not a (FIDE) master.
2) $20,000 is not a very high prize fund, especially for the $120 EF. The announcement states that if the tournament has 600 players, it will bump prize fund up to $30,000, and 800 players, $40,000. So let's say $50 prize fund/ player, even though with 599 entries, it's closer to $33/player. This means that of the $120 minimum EF, less than half is going towards prizes. The minimum entry fee of another large tournament, the North American Open, is $243. Prizes are announced as $120,000 b/600 entries (with a $90,000 minimum), so of that $243 EF, $200 is going into prizes or 82.3%, nearly twice the amount of the World Amateur Championship (41.67%)
3) I spent six days in the 2009 US Open, I'd have to spend seven at the World Amateur Championship. The US Open has over a hundred years of history and in practically no other tournament in the country does a club player have the opportunity to play against masters or even international masters. Getting an even or positive score at the US Open is often considered a highlight of the club player's career. The World Amateur Championship holds no comparable mystique to it. It's just not worth spending seven days in a hotel for. I could see playing if I lived in the Chicago area, but I'm not going to travel over a thousand miles to play.
The main difference is that this is an Amateur championship, so only players rated 2000 FIDE or lower are allowed to play (I'm eligible since my FIDE is 1912). The winner gets an automatic 2200 FIDE rating and the FM title.
As with any FIDE championship it seems, there's a few things that are weird with this tournament.
1) Why is it only eligible to <2000 FIDE players, and the ultimate reward is the FM title? That would be like a US tournament for A-players and below, the winner getting the national master title! It seems like the Amateur championships should be open to anyone who is not a (FIDE) master.
2) $20,000 is not a very high prize fund, especially for the $120 EF. The announcement states that if the tournament has 600 players, it will bump prize fund up to $30,000, and 800 players, $40,000. So let's say $50 prize fund/ player, even though with 599 entries, it's closer to $33/player. This means that of the $120 minimum EF, less than half is going towards prizes. The minimum entry fee of another large tournament, the North American Open, is $243. Prizes are announced as $120,000 b/600 entries (with a $90,000 minimum), so of that $243 EF, $200 is going into prizes or 82.3%, nearly twice the amount of the World Amateur Championship (41.67%)
3) I spent six days in the 2009 US Open, I'd have to spend seven at the World Amateur Championship. The US Open has over a hundred years of history and in practically no other tournament in the country does a club player have the opportunity to play against masters or even international masters. Getting an even or positive score at the US Open is often considered a highlight of the club player's career. The World Amateur Championship holds no comparable mystique to it. It's just not worth spending seven days in a hotel for. I could see playing if I lived in the Chicago area, but I'm not going to travel over a thousand miles to play.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
World Cup: Round 6, Game 1
Gelfand defeated Karjakin in the first round, with black! In order to force a rapid-play-off, Karjakin will have to win the second game with black against the #1 seed of the tournament. Almost assuredly, one of the two finalists will be Boris Gelfand.
The other semi-final game was a draw, in contrast to the other game, it is much more likely this will go to rapid-play. I still give the advantage to Ponomariov.
The other semi-final game was a draw, in contrast to the other game, it is much more likely this will go to rapid-play. I still give the advantage to Ponomariov.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
I'm up to 4-0 on redhotpawn (one more game till rating) and have six games going.
As it turned out, my opponent in the USCF tournament responded in both games (one in just time before getting forfeited), so 0.5-5.5 in last place is looking pretty likely again. I'm hoping I can do better in 2010. I'm planning on starting six tournaments, one every two months, although I may have to do fewer if the games pile up too much.
2010 Correspondence Tournaments:
January: Colorado Correspondence Championship Semi-final
Match: 2010 Electronic Knights
May: ICCF Open Promotion Tournament
July: USCF 7-RR
Sept: USCF 7-RR
Nov: ICCF Open Promotion Tournament
As it turned out, my opponent in the USCF tournament responded in both games (one in just time before getting forfeited), so 0.5-5.5 in last place is looking pretty likely again. I'm hoping I can do better in 2010. I'm planning on starting six tournaments, one every two months, although I may have to do fewer if the games pile up too much.
2010 Correspondence Tournaments:
January: Colorado Correspondence Championship Semi-final
Match: 2010 Electronic Knights
May: ICCF Open Promotion Tournament
July: USCF 7-RR
Sept: USCF 7-RR
Nov: ICCF Open Promotion Tournament
World Cup: Round 5
Four players left:
Gelfand defeated Jakovenko (1-1, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Ponomariov defeatd Gashimov (1-1, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Malahkov defeated Svidler (1.5-0.5)
Karjakin defeated Mamedyarov (1.5-0.5)
Not bad, I was three for four.
Semi-finals:
Gelfand vs Karjakin
Ponomariov vs Malahkov
I'd like to see Boris Gelfand (2008 World Championship Candidate) and Rusian Ponomariov (2002 FIDE World Championship Championship) in the final, but I'm actually thinking Karjakin might end up winning his semi-final with Gelfand. Gelfand is still in the tournament, but was forced to win his 3rd, 4th, and 5th round games in the tie-breaks rather in normal time. Karjakin has age and a free day on his side.
Gelfand defeated Jakovenko (1-1, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Ponomariov defeatd Gashimov (1-1, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Malahkov defeated Svidler (1.5-0.5)
Karjakin defeated Mamedyarov (1.5-0.5)
Not bad, I was three for four.
Semi-finals:
Gelfand vs Karjakin
Ponomariov vs Malahkov
I'd like to see Boris Gelfand (2008 World Championship Candidate) and Rusian Ponomariov (2002 FIDE World Championship Championship) in the final, but I'm actually thinking Karjakin might end up winning his semi-final with Gelfand. Gelfand is still in the tournament, but was forced to win his 3rd, 4th, and 5th round games in the tie-breaks rather in normal time. Karjakin has age and a free day on his side.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
World Cup: Round 4
Eight players left.
Gelfand (1) won (1.0-1.0, 2.0-2.0 RP, 1.5-0.5 BP)
Gashimov (2) won (1.0-1.0, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Svidler (3) won (1.5-0.5)
Mamedyarov (13) won (1.5-0.5)
Karjakin (12) won (1.5-0.5)
Malakhov (11) won (1.0-1.0, 3.0-1.0 RP)
Ponomariov (7) won (1.0-1.0, 2.5-1.5 RP)
Jakovenko (9) won (1.0-1.0. 2.0-2.0 RP, 2.0-0.0 BP)
Quarter-finals
Board 1: Gelfand vs Jakovenko
Board 2: Gashimov vs Ponomariov
Board 3: Svidler vs Malakhov
Board 4: Mamedyarov vs Karjakin
I'm thinking Gelfand, Ponomariov, Svidler, and Karjakin in the semi-finals, but with 2-game matches, you can basically flip a coin in each match.
Gelfand (1) won (1.0-1.0, 2.0-2.0 RP, 1.5-0.5 BP)
Gashimov (2) won (1.0-1.0, 2.5-0.5 RP)
Svidler (3) won (1.5-0.5)
Mamedyarov (13) won (1.5-0.5)
Karjakin (12) won (1.5-0.5)
Malakhov (11) won (1.0-1.0, 3.0-1.0 RP)
Ponomariov (7) won (1.0-1.0, 2.5-1.5 RP)
Jakovenko (9) won (1.0-1.0. 2.0-2.0 RP, 2.0-0.0 BP)
Quarter-finals
Board 1: Gelfand vs Jakovenko
Board 2: Gashimov vs Ponomariov
Board 3: Svidler vs Malakhov
Board 4: Mamedyarov vs Karjakin
I'm thinking Gelfand, Ponomariov, Svidler, and Karjakin in the semi-finals, but with 2-game matches, you can basically flip a coin in each match.
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