2K5/4N3/p4P1k/P7/4r3/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
White to move and win.
NOTE: It is VERY tricky!
Benko, 1997
A Benko Classic
2K5/4N3/p4P1k/P7/4r3/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
White to move and win.
NOTE: It is VERY tricky!
Benko, 1997
SPICE Cup round 2 pairings
There was a slight change. Therefore, please make sure you double check your pairings.
Round 2 pairings
1 GM Quang Liem Le (2712) - IM Kayden Troff (2431)
2 GM Alexander Ipatov (2625) - IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (2425)
3 GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez (2575) - IM Raja Panjwani (2422)
4 GM Aleksandr Lenderman (2539) - IM Keaton Kiewra (2404)
5 GM Alexander Shabalov (2520) - FM Samuel Sevian (2393)
6 FM Joel Banawa (2367) - GM Alex Yermolinsky (2516)
7 FM Kostya Kavustkiy (2272) - GM Mackenzie Molner (2493)
8 GM Ben Finegold (2482) - FM Jeffrey Xiong (2345)
9 Daniel Gurevich (2258) - GM Ray Robson (2628)
10 IM Vitaly Neimer (2378) - GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (2521)
11 GM Denes Boros (2494) - WIM Diana Real Pereyra (2100)
12 FM Eric Rodriguez (2307) - IM Leonid Gerzhoy (2478)
13 WIM Altanulzii Enkhtuul (2247) - GM Andre Diamant (2461)
14 IM Joshua Ruiz (2399) - FM Awonder Liang (2207)
15 Andrew Tang (2174) - GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2603)
16 Nolan Hendrickson (2178) - FM Akshat Chandra (2318)
17 WIM Inna Agrest (2154) - FM Robby Adamson (2278)
18 Spencer Finegold (2132) - FM Renan Reis (2266)
19 Manuel Valerio Waldo Nieto (2014) - FM Doug Eckert (2247)
20 WFM Sarah Chiang (2102) - CM Ruifeng Li (2246)
21 Joshua Colas (2242) - FM Hans Jung (2122)
22 James Voelker (2186) - Guillermo Liugui Ubaldo Nieto (1978)
½ Manuel Guillermo Nieto (1909) BYE
½ FM Jouaquim Banawa (2305) BYE
½ GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (2552) BYE
World chess elite gathering on Rhodes
With the conclusion of the Russian Superfinal, Bilbao Masters and Kings Tournament, the world’s chess elite will move to Rhodes, Greece, appropriately nicknamed ‘The island of the Knights’ and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.
The island will host the European Chess Club Cup from 19-27th October in the conference center of the 5-star Rodos Palace Convention Resort which is regarded as one of the finest deluxe hotels on the island of Rhodes.
The 29th European Club Cup 2013 will feature 95 Grandmasters, 75 International Masters and 43 FIDE Masters.
Top rated stars are Caruana Fabiano 2779, Topalov Veselin 2771, Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2759 (SOCAR), Grischuk Alexander 2786, Karjakin Sergey 2762, Morozevich Alexander 2734 (Malachite), Dominguez Perez Leinier 2753, Svidler Peter 2740 (Saint-Petersburg), Nakamura Hikaru 2783 (O.R. Padova) and Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2742 (Clichy Echecs 92).
The 18th European Club Cup for Women 2013 will see 22 Grandmasters and 16 International Masters.
The elo chart is headed by the reigning World Champion Hou Yifan 2621, former WCC Challenger Koneru Humpy 2607, Muzychuk Anna 2560, Cramling Pia 2515 (Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo), former World Champions Ushenina Anna 2497 (Ugra), Lagno Kateryna 2534 and Cmilyte Viktorija 2505 (CS Politechnica-Antibiotice Iasi)
More information on the tournament website
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi ... and more
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Posted on October 14,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Beginner's Corner. Chess tactics are extremely important players of all levels, but most relevant to beginner chess players. At the higher levels of chess, tactics are often very complex and combine different positional, strategic themes with an immediate tactical way of solving a problem. However at the beginner level in chess, tactics often decide a game immediately. For example if you are dropping a piece (or catching your opponent hanging a piece!) that should [...]
FM Alisa Melekhina Explains the King's Indian Defense
Posted on October 11,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The King's Indian Defense is one of black's most aggressive openings against 1. d4 as it nearly always leads to double-edged play and decisive results. The underlying themes and plans in the opening and middlegame are very consistent and clear - white tries to gain space in the center and open up play by attacking on the queenside, while black responds by gaining space on the kingside and pursuing a deadly attack against white's king. This chess [...]
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi
Posted on October 07,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, Beginner's Corner. The Sicilian Defense is one of the most extensive chess openings and the amount of theory is downright incredible. The best study routine for beginner and intermediate chess players does NOT focus exclusively on studying openings, rather it should include a comprehensive regimen targeted at improving all phases of your game. In the below chess video excerpt from the Empire Chess DVD ¨Smashing the Sicilian Defense with the Smith-Morra Gambit¨ Gran[...]
Beginner Chess Opening Traps by GM Susan Polgar
Posted on October 03,2013 By William in All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. Many beginner chess players feel lost in the opening and can easily fall into typical traps. In the following chess video, 5-time Olympic Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar reviews one of the most common traps seen at the beginner chess level - Scholar's Mate! The Scholar's Mate set-up with an early e4, Bc4, Qh5, and Qxf7# is not a good opening at all if black is paying attention and responds logically to white's threats. However if you have never se[...]
OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shop with tons of free updated previews.
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Posted on October 14,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Beginner's Corner. Chess tactics are extremely important players of all levels, but most relevant to beginner chess players. At the higher levels of chess, tactics are often very complex and combine different positional, strategic themes with an immediate tactical way of solving a problem. However at the beginner level in chess, tactics often decide a game immediately. For example if you are dropping a piece (or catching your opponent hanging a piece!) that should [...]
FM Alisa Melekhina Explains the King's Indian Defense
Posted on October 11,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The King's Indian Defense is one of black's most aggressive openings against 1. d4 as it nearly always leads to double-edged play and decisive results. The underlying themes and plans in the opening and middlegame are very consistent and clear - white tries to gain space in the center and open up play by attacking on the queenside, while black responds by gaining space on the kingside and pursuing a deadly attack against white's king. This chess [...]
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi
Posted on October 07,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, Beginner's Corner. The Sicilian Defense is one of the most extensive chess openings and the amount of theory is downright incredible. The best study routine for beginner and intermediate chess players does NOT focus exclusively on studying openings, rather it should include a comprehensive regimen targeted at improving all phases of your game. In the below chess video excerpt from the Empire Chess DVD ¨Smashing the Sicilian Defense with the Smith-Morra Gambit¨ Gran[...]
Beginner Chess Opening Traps by GM Susan Polgar
Posted on October 03,2013 By William in All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. Many beginner chess players feel lost in the opening and can easily fall into typical traps. In the following chess video, 5-time Olympic Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar reviews one of the most common traps seen at the beginner chess level - Scholar's Mate! The Scholar's Mate set-up with an early e4, Bc4, Qh5, and Qxf7# is not a good opening at all if black is paying attention and responds logically to white's threats. However if you have never se[...]
OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shop with tons of free updated previews.
SPWO with over $100K in chess prizes (including iPad Mini) and scholarships
www.polgarworldopen.com
November 2 – 3, 2013
Special 3 hour Camp – November 1, 2013
Crowne Plaza Hotel – Northbrook, IL (near Chicago)
Over $100,000 in Chess Prizes (including iPad Mini) and Scholarships to Webster University (Home of the #1 ranked College Chess Division 1 team in the nation!)
The winners of the Girls K-3, 4-5, 6-8 and 9-12 will receive automatic invitations to the Susan Polgar Foundation Girls’ Invitational
(late July 2014 at Webster University in St. Louis), which includes free room and board.
All winners from the 2012 SPWO (Boys and Girls) receive free entry to the 2013 SPWO
6R-SS in 8 sections: (K-3), (4-5), (6-8), (9-12)
Time Control (all sections): Game-45 w/5-sec delay
Round Times (all sections): Sat & Sun: 11:00am, 1:30pm, 4pm
Side Events:
Puzzle Solving – Saturday 6:00pm
Simul * – Saturday 7:00pm
Blitz – Sunday – 9:00am
*Simul is limited to 30 participants with maximum 10 adults as available
Book Signing with GM Susan Polgar: Saturday 3:00pm
Q&A with GM Susan Polgar: Saturday 12:30pm
Special 3 hour chess camp with GM Susan Polgar: Friday 11/1 – 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Unrated Tournament*: Must be unrated, No USCF membership required
K-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 sections
Boys and Girls together
4R-SS Game-45 w/5-sec delay
11am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
Trophies 1st thru 5th per section and top 2 teams
Prizes (Boys and Girls - rated sections)
9th-12th Grade Section
1st – Webster University Scholarship
2nd – $150 value of chess prizes
3rd – $100 value of chess prizes
4th – $75 value of chess prizes
1st – iPad Mini
2nd – $150 value of chess prizes
3rd – $100 value of chess prizes
4th – $75 value of chess prizes
K-3
1st – $250 value of chess prizes
2nd – $150 value of chess prizes
3rd – $100 value of chess prizes
4th – $75 value of chess prizes
Trophies (in all rated sections)
Trophies to Top 10 individuals
Trophies to Top 3 school teams
Tournament Entry Fees:
$40 by October 12, 2013
$50 by October 26, 2013
$60 thereafter and onsite
Side events – $15 each or $40 for all three if purchased by 10/26; $20 each thereafter and onsite
1/2 day camp – $40 in advance, $60 onsite – camp limited to 40 participants
Unrated Tournament Entry Fee
$10 by October 12, 2013
$15 by October 26, 2013
$20 thereafter and onsite
Questions: sevan@nachess.org or call 847.423.8626 and mention Polgar tournament in your message.
Chess Vendor Onsite with Huge Selection!
Payments to be mailed to (payable):
North American Chess Association
4957 Oakton Street Suite 113
Skokie, IL 60077
All equipment will be provided (boards, sets, clocks). Organizer provided equipment must be used
Crowne Plaza Chicago-Northbrook Hotel
2875 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Northbrook, IL 60062
847.298.2525
$99 room rate; must call hotel directly and ask for CHESS rate.
Chess novel “Lisa” by GM Jesse Kraai
Jesse Kraai returned to chess in 2002, at 30 years old. By studying his own games he was able to reach his goal of Grandmaster in 2007. You can read more about him and his chess novel at jessekraai.com. His novel may be purchased on Amazon, http://amzn.to/1chwP0U
Excerpt below kindly provided by Jesse:
Lisa ditched her last couple classes on Thursday. They were pointless anyway. The shuttle wasn’t there to take her, but it was easy to walk the four blocks to the train-even though they always told the kids it was so dangerous. No one tried to stop her; she was invisible and free.
Lisa had lost to Ruth the day before, once again brutally. And she dreaded her punishment. He’s probably going to make me do something like Bikram yoga, Lisa thought. He’ll turn me into a puddle of sweat.
Lisa wanted to be admitted into the temple, to be accepted and enjoy a warm and carpeted conversation. But Ruth would always squish her. And Igor would never let her in. So she would take her revenge. She would sneak into the Berkeley Public Library without permission.
The outside walls of the building looked like a boy had poured his green Gatorade all over it twenty years ago and no one had ever bothered to clean up the sticky mess. The fungi and bacteria of the street had eaten the brightness away, leaving a matte puke color. But underneath all of that there were outlines of athletic women wrapped in tight cloth, climbing staircases up into the emptiness. The images were faint; the fineness of their lines had been lost.
Inside, hairy men with enormous black trash bags casually dragged their life’s belongings across broad granite floors. The old socks of homelessness pinched Lisa’s nose as she watched a man play blitz chess on one of the public internet portals. This library wasn’t a temple. It was just another adult scam, like the way they used chess to trick kids into concentrating.
Lisa left the library at 3:30, a half hour before she was supposed to meet with Igor. She was sneaky like that; Igor would never know that she had gone in without his permission. Fooling adults was easy. To kill time, she laid herself out on the Peace Wall as Igor had and did chess problems, using the photocopies Ruth had made for her. Then she walked back to the library, as if she hadn’t already been there, to wait for her teacher.
Igor took the record of her game into his big hands and looked down at her with a questioning smile, as if asking, “Have you failed again?” Lisa knew that Ruth had emailed him and described the game. But he needed to see the moves. Lisa had carefully noted on her scoresheet how much time she and Ruth used on each move. She had tried to follow his principles. In his own world, the Russian softly spoke, “tak, tak, tak,” quickly reconstructing the game in his mind to a metronome beat. Then he looked up at the mountain, his big stone, his personal gym. “We go inside,” he said.
Igor led Lisa up to the third floor of the Berkeley Public Library, the children’s floor. He said they would take advantage of Lisa’s age and use the ample space there. From behind a bookshelf of Dr. Seuss and Where the Wild Things Are, Igor pulled out a magnificent wooden set that he had hidden. Until then, Lisa had never played on anything but plastic. Igor told her the history, how he had the set made after he became a grandmaster, to commemorate his passage. He said it was his one item of physical beauty, of decadence.
For his black pieces and squares, Igor had found a block of Indian rosewood, called sheesham, while playing a tournament in Punjab. Dark swirls wound their way through the wood, like a slowly moving mist that covers a distant light. For his white wood, Igor went back to Cuba. He told Lisa about his fateful tournament there, the Capablanca Memorial, and about his escape in Gander. He told her about the need to go back, to play well. There he had acquired a piece of boxwood, as if it were a trophy. To Lisa, its pure and unchanging light suggested truth.
Igor said that he had packed these two tropical treasures into a deep suitcase, neglecting his clothes, and brought them to the Estonian master carver Kalju Muutnik. Kalju’s hands had only ever known the hearty woods of the coldest north, forests reaching back to the time of Neanderthal spears. There in Estonia, Kalju gave the exotic southern woods an Eastern European modesty and grace.
SPICE Cup round 1 results
Round 1 results
1 0 FM Akshat Chandra (2318) 1 GM Quang Liem Le (2712)
2 ½ GM Ray Robson (2628) ½ FM Eric Rodriguez (2307)
3 0 FM Robby Adamson (2278) 1 GM Alexander Ipatov (2625)
4 0 GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2603) 1 FM Kostya Kavustkiy (2272)
5 0 FM Renan Reis (2266) 1 GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez (2575)
6 0 GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (2552) 1 Daniel Gurevich (2258)
7 0 FM Doug Eckert (2247) 1 GM Aleksandr Lenderman (2539)
8 ½ GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (2521) ½ WIM Altanulzii Enkhtuul (2247)
9 0 CM Ruifeng Li (2246) 1 GM Alexander Shabalov (2520)
10 1 GM Alex Yermolinsky (2516) 0 Joshua Colas (2242)
11 ½ FM Awonder Liang (2207) ½ GM Denes Boros (2494)
12 1 GM Mackenzie Molner (2493) 0 James Voelker (2186)
13 0 Nolan Hendrickson (2178) 1 GM Ben Finegold (2482)
14 ½ IM Leonid Gerzhoy (2478) ½ Andrew Tang (2174)
15 0 WIM Inna Agrest (2154) 1 IM Kayden Troff (2431)
16 1 IM Priyadharshan Kannappan (2425) 0 Spencer Finegold (2132)
17 0 FM Hans Jung (2122) 1 IM Raja Panjwani (2422)
18 1 IM Keaton Kiewra (2404) 0 WFM Sarah Chiang (2102)
19 ½ WIM Diana Real Pereyra (2100) ½ IM Joshua Ruiz (2399)
20 1 FM Samuel Sevian (2393) 0 Manuel Valerio Waldo Nieto (2014)
21 0 Guillermo Liugui Ubaldo Nieto (1978) 1 FM Joel Banawa (2367)
22 1 FM Jeffrey Xiong (2345) 0 Manuel Guillermo Nieto (1909)
½ FM Jouaquim Banawa (2305) BYE
½ IM Vitaly Neimer (2378) BYE
½ GM Andre Diamant (2461) BYE
Caruana maintains Kings Tournament lead in spite of devastating loss
Standings with 1 round to go
| 1. | Caruana, Fabiano | ITA | 2779 | 4½ | / 7 | |||||||||||
| 2. | Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter | ROU | 2674 | 4 | / 8 | |||||||||||
| 3. | Wang, Hao | CHN | 2733 | 3½ | / 7 | |||||||||||
| 4. | Ponomariov, Ruslan | UKR | 2751 | 3 | / 7 | |||||||||||
| 5. | Radjabov, Teimour | AZE | 2723 | 3 | / 7 |
Needing a win to break 2800, Caruana pushed hard the entire game against Wang Hao. At one point, it looked promising. Unfortunately, he over pushed and eventually lost the game. In spite of the set back, Caruana still in clear first with one round to go.
SPICE Cup round 1 pairings
Pairings for Round 1
2013 SPICE Cup
1 Akshat Chandra (2318) ____ Quang Liem Le (2712)
2 Ray Robson (2628) ___ Eric Rodriguez (2307)
3 Robby Adamson (2278) ___ Alexander Ipatov (2625)
4 Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2603) ___ Kostya Kavustkiy (2272)
5 Renan Reis (2266) ___ Fidel Corrales Jimenez (2575)
6 Manuel Leon Hoyos (2552) ___ Daniel Gurevich (2258)
7 Doug Eckert (2247) ___ Aleksandr Lenderman (2539)
8 Anatoly Bykhovsky (2521) ___ Altanulzii Enkhtuul (2247)
9 Ruifeng Li (2246) ___ Alexander Shabalov (2520)
10 Alex Yermolinsky (2516) ___ Joshua Colas (2242)
11 Awonder Liang (2207) ___ Denes Boros (2494)
12 Mackenzie Molner (2493) ___ James Voelker (2186)
13 Nolan Hendrickson (2178) ___ Ben Finegold (2482)
14 Leonid Gerzhoy (2478) ___ Andrew Tang (2174)
15 Inna Agrest (2154) ___ Kayden Troff (2431)
16 Priyadharshan Kannappan (2425) ___ Spencer Finegold (2132)
17 Hans Jung (2122) ___ Raja Panjwani (2422)
18 Keaton Kiewra (2404) ___ Sarah Chiang (2102)
19 Diana Real Pereyra (2100) ___ Joshua Ruiz (2399)
20 Samuel Sevian (2393) ___ Manuel Valerio Waldo Nieto (2014)
21 Guillermo Liugui Ubaldo Nieto (1978) ___ Joel Banawa (2367)
22 Jeffrey Xiong (2345) ___ Manuel Guillermo Nieto (1909)
17th Unive Chess Tournament in Hoogeveen
The 17th Unive Chess Tournament will be held from 18 to 26 October in the town hall of Hoogeveen, Netherlands.
The main Crown Group will see two talented juniors competing against two experienced players in a double round robin event. The first round is on 20th October.
The players are Michael Adams (England 2753), Wesley So (Philippines 2706), Loek van Wely (Netherlands 2693) and Robin van Kampen (Netherlands 2607).
Last year winner was Hikaru Nakamura.
The additional events are Unive Open with a strong international field and two Amateur tournaments (morning and afternoon groups). These events will be held over nine rounds of Swiss system.
Top rated players in the Unive Open are: GM Rodshtein Maxim ISR 2664, GM L’Ami Erwin NED 2645, GM Krasenkow Michal POL 2640, GM Ernst Sipke NED 2573, GM Haslinger Stewart ENG 2543 and GM Moskalenko Viktor ESP 2520.
Tournament website
Khanty-Mansiysk to host Candidates Tournament 2014
Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk to host Candidates Tournament
14:22 15/10/2013 » Sport
After the Bulgarian Chess Federation withdrew its offer to host the Candidates Tournament in Kozloduy, it became clear that the event will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
Aronian, Kramnik, Topalov, Mamedyarov, Andreikin, Karjakin will take part in the tournament, which will take place in March 2014. The seventh participant will be the loser of Anand-Carlsen match and the eighth one will be named by Russia as the host country, armchess.am reported.
Source: http://www.panorama.am
Anand – Carlsen 2013 FWCM TV video broadcast awarded to Doordarshan
Doordarshan, India’s Largest Television Network, has signed an agreement with All India Chess Federation for the Complete Global Television Rights of the Forthcoming FIDE World Championship Match 2013 to be played in Chennai, between Reigning World Chess Champion GM Viswanathan Anand and Challenger GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The Agreement was signed by Mr Ranjan Thakur, Addl DG Doordarshan on behalf of Prasar Bharati and Mr Bharat Singh, CEO All India Chess Federation. Under this Agreement Doordarshan will telecast the 12 games Championship live and exclusive on its DD Sports Channel.
Television networks interested in obtaining TV Broadcast and Live Video Streaming rights may contact Mr Avinash Acharya Asst Director DD Sports – e mail avinash_acharya@yahoo.co.in
Anand – Carlsen 2013 FWCM is set to take place 7th to 28th of November. It is the most important individual event of the year and starts just a week after the most prestigious club event – the European Club Cup 2013, with 300+ titled players and 100+ GMs.
7th Russian Championship title for Svidler
The Russian Championship Superfinal 2013 for men and women took place from 5th to 14th October at the State Historical and Architectural Museum in Nizhny Novgorod.
Both events were held according to round robin system with ten players. The total prize fund for both groups was 6 million RUB (approx 138,000 EUR).
Peter Svidler defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the rapid tie-break 1,5-0,5 to claim his seventh title of the Russian Champion. Svidler earlier won the Championships in 1994, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2008 and 2011.
In the regular tournament, Svidler drew Sergey Karjakin in the final round to conclude the event with 6,5 points. Meanwhile, Nepomniachtchi and Vladimir Kramnik were involved in a game where only a victory would guarantee rapid playoff with Svidler. Kramnik achieved solid advantage with black piece but Nepo turned the tables and won a full point.
Final standings (men):
1-2. Peter Svidler 2740 and Ian Nepomniachtchi 2702 – 6,5
3-4. Vladimir Kramnik 2796 and Nikita Vitiugov 2729 – 5,5
5. Dmitry Andreikin 2706 – 5,0
6-7. Ernesto Inarkiev 2695 and Sergey Karjakin 2762 – 4,5
8. Aleksey Goganov 2575 – 3,5
9. Alexander Motylev 2676 – 2,5
10. Anton Shomoev 2579 – 1,0
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi ... and more
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Posted on October 14,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Beginner's Corner. Chess tactics are extremely important players of all levels, but most relevant to beginner chess players. At the higher levels of chess, tactics are often very complex and combine different positional, strategic themes with an immediate tactical way of solving a problem. However at the beginner level in chess, tactics often decide a game immediately. For example if you are dropping a piece (or catching your opponent hanging a piece!) that should [...]
FM Alisa Melekhina Explains the King's Indian Defense
Posted on October 11,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The King's Indian Defense is one of black's most aggressive openings against 1. d4 as it nearly always leads to double-edged play and decisive results. The underlying themes and plans in the opening and middlegame are very consistent and clear - white tries to gain space in the center and open up play by attacking on the queenside, while black responds by gaining space on the kingside and pursuing a deadly attack against white's king. This chess [...]
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi
Posted on October 07,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, Beginner's Corner. The Sicilian Defense is one of the most extensive chess openings and the amount of theory is downright incredible. The best study routine for beginner and intermediate chess players does NOT focus exclusively on studying openings, rather it should include a comprehensive regimen targeted at improving all phases of your game. In the below chess video excerpt from the Empire Chess DVD ¨Smashing the Sicilian Defense with the Smith-Morra Gambit¨ Gran[...]
Beginner Chess Opening Traps by GM Susan Polgar
Posted on October 03,2013 By William in All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. Many beginner chess players feel lost in the opening and can easily fall into typical traps. In the following chess video, 5-time Olympic Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar reviews one of the most common traps seen at the beginner chess level - Scholar's Mate! The Scholar's Mate set-up with an early e4, Bc4, Qh5, and Qxf7# is not a good opening at all if black is paying attention and responds logically to white's threats. However if you have never se[...]
OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shop with tons of free updated previews.
Winning Chess Tactics for Beginners by GM Damian Lemos
Posted on October 14,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Beginner's Corner. Chess tactics are extremely important players of all levels, but most relevant to beginner chess players. At the higher levels of chess, tactics are often very complex and combine different positional, strategic themes with an immediate tactical way of solving a problem. However at the beginner level in chess, tactics often decide a game immediately. For example if you are dropping a piece (or catching your opponent hanging a piece!) that should [...]
FM Alisa Melekhina Explains the King's Indian Defense
Posted on October 11,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The King's Indian Defense is one of black's most aggressive openings against 1. d4 as it nearly always leads to double-edged play and decisive results. The underlying themes and plans in the opening and middlegame are very consistent and clear - white tries to gain space in the center and open up play by attacking on the queenside, while black responds by gaining space on the kingside and pursuing a deadly attack against white's king. This chess [...]
Smith-Morra Gambit with GM Ronen Har-Zvi
Posted on October 07,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, Beginner's Corner. The Sicilian Defense is one of the most extensive chess openings and the amount of theory is downright incredible. The best study routine for beginner and intermediate chess players does NOT focus exclusively on studying openings, rather it should include a comprehensive regimen targeted at improving all phases of your game. In the below chess video excerpt from the Empire Chess DVD ¨Smashing the Sicilian Defense with the Smith-Morra Gambit¨ Gran[...]
Beginner Chess Opening Traps by GM Susan Polgar
Posted on October 03,2013 By William in All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. Many beginner chess players feel lost in the opening and can easily fall into typical traps. In the following chess video, 5-time Olympic Chess Champion GM Susan Polgar reviews one of the most common traps seen at the beginner chess level - Scholar's Mate! The Scholar's Mate set-up with an early e4, Bc4, Qh5, and Qxf7# is not a good opening at all if black is paying attention and responds logically to white's threats. However if you have never se[...]
OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shop with tons of free updated previews.
Chess / Tennis Rivalries?
Tennis had a number of incredible rivalries such as McEnroe/Borg/Connors, Agassi/Sampras, Federer/Nadal/Djokovic, etc.
What are some of the best chess rivalries?
Can chess tech change the way we educate?
Why College Costs Will Soon Plunge
By Barton Hinkle - October 14, 2013
My goal,” says the candidate, “is a healthier America. That is why I am setting an ambitious target of sending 1 million more Americans to the hospital in the next five years. To make sure they get there, I am announcing a new, low-interest loan program to help them pay for their treatment. This will ensure that hospital costs stay within reach of the typical American family.”
If you heard a speech like that, you probably would start scratching your head. Sure, people with acute medical conditions need hospital care. But most people don’t have to lie for weeks in a hospital bed to get healthy. And lavishing more money on hospital care will simply drive the price up — just as giving everyone a $2,000 vehicle subsidy would jack up prices for cars and trucks.
Yet this is what politicians routinely propose for higher education: Send more people to college, and give them more money to help them get there. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell proposed cranking out 100,000 more college degrees in 15 years. Around the same time, President Barack Obama said he wanted the U.S. to have “the highest proportion of college graduates in the world” — which would more than double enrollment. His new higher-ed plan calls for yet more financial aid.
Aid to higher ed already has exploded: In 1964, federal student aid was only $264 million, or $1.7 billion in current dollars. Today, the feds shell out $105 billion a year just in student loans. Total federal aid has soared from $64 billion (in 2000) to $169 billion (in 2010).
Flooded with such largess, colleges have sent prices skyward (tuition is up more than 500 percent over the past three decades) and indulged in luxuries that would have made Marie Antoinette blush, from gourmet dining halls (sushi at Bowdoin, vegan at JMU) to rock-climbing walls. Last month, Virginia Commonwealth University announced the construction of two new dorms that will add 426 beds. Their $41 million cost comes to more than $96,000 per bed. Thank goodness Virginia is, comparatively, fiscally conservative: Princeton recently built a dormitory at a jaw-dropping cost of almost $300,000 per bed.
Trend lines like these cannot go on — and they won’t. But not because of politicians’ efforts to rein in college costs. College costs will drop because of market forces politicians will be powerless to stop.
In his new book Average Is Over, George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen explains why: Thanks to the Internet, you no longer have to sit in a lecture hall to get a superb education. And you certainly don’t have to shell out ungodly sums for five-star dormitories, Olympic-level gymnasiums and sushi bars.
You already can learn a great deal online for free from Wikipedia, TED lectures and so on. That information is unorganized, but many universities have begun offering organized instruction online through MOOCs — massive, open online courses. (Want to take one? Go to Coursera.org.) And “once an online course is created,” Cowen writes, “additional students can be handled at . . . close to zero cost.”
This is tremendously democratizing. To take a financial-markets course from Sterling Professor of Economics Bob Shiller, a poor kid in South Central Los Angeles or Bee Branch, Ark., no longer has to apply to Yale — hoping against hope to get in — and then beg or borrow tens of thousands of dollars a year to pay the freight. He can take the class online. Just as deregulation made air travel available to (nearly) all, online education will make college available to nearly all as well.
Granted, air travel today is much less luxurious than it once was. Won’t technology-facilitated education be equally plebian? The question falsely assumes a student at Big State U. is getting a top-notch education now. And it ignores the ways technology could improve higher ed.
For instance, Cowen writes, “when the best courses serve … hundreds of thousands of students, or maybe even millions, the financial returns to pedagogical innovation will be looked at in a new light.” Imagine writing a killer app that explains the concept of opportunity cost in a clear and entertaining manner: “As a society, we’ll put a lot more effort into teaching things better.”
Changes like this could benefit star professors tremendously, but they might not be such good news for the average instructor, whose role could shift dramatically. At Virginia Tech, 8,000 students a year take introductory math from hundreds of computers set up in a renovated big-box store — with non-tenured assistants on hand to answer the occasional question from the perplexed.
Yet Cowen argues there will always be a place for professors. Some institutions, such as certain Ivies, trade on their exclusivity and might not wish to give credit for courses taken online. Some students lack the self-motivation to learn on their own, and for them the professor will serve as “role model . . . motivator [and] exemplar.” Those teachers could “consult the machines to better understand the mistakes their students are making” and “outline a course for improvement.”
Finally, the revolution in higher ed could hasten the end of the sheepskin as a signifier of intellectual horsepower.
Just look at how technology has revolutionized chess instruction, Cowen says: No longer do you need to study for years with a chess coach to reach the zenith of the game. Aspiring grandmasters now learn from computers and online game play, and merit is all.
“If you’re not a good player,” Cowen writes, “the fact that you studied with a top teacher doesn’t mean a thing. … There is nothing [in chess] comparable to the glow resulting from a Harvard degree: Announcing ‘I studied with Rybka’ [a powerful chess engine] would bring gales of laughter, since anyone can do that. … The company selling Rybka tries to make its product replicable and universal, whereas Harvard tries to make its product as exclusive as possible. Now, which model do you think will spread and gain influence in the long run?”
Before you answer that, consider this: A year of tuition, room and board at Harvard will set you back more than $50,000. You can get a copy of Rybka for about $50.
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com
Improved Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Improved Cognitive Function in Older Adults Can Be Achieved with Calorie Restriction, Blood Sugar Management, Says The CR Way
Published: October 14, 2013 2013-10-14T12:50:27
By LivingTheCRWay
OSSINING, N.Y., Oct. 14, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ -- As people age, they often experience memory loss, reduced concentration, and other cognitive problems. Diet and lifestyle, though, can improve cognitive performance and reverse some aspects of brain aging. Consider the world chess champion – chess genius, Viswanathan Anand – who in November will defend his title against the highest rated player in chess history, Magnus Carlsen.
Pundits predict a Carlsen win, based on the recent games and tournament scores of the two players. Carlsen beat Anand handily in their most recent encounter in June. But Anand should not be counted out. He has successfully defended his world championship title many times and is known for his excellent preparation and creative play.
The biggest challenge Anand faces may be physiological. According to brain-aging expert, Dr. Timothy Salthouse, cognitive capabilities usually peak at 22, the very age Carlsen is now. Salthouse finds that on average, by age 28, signs of cognitive decline begin to show up. By 38, signs of memory loss increase.* Most people may not notice these declines until much later, but elite chess players do: Their careers stand or fall on their peak intellectual performance. Anand is 43, almost twice Carlsen's age.
At the recent Sinquefield Cup chess tournament (St. Louis, MO), Carlsen and Levon Aronian the world's top-ranked chess players, joined the two top-ranked U.S. players, Haraku Nakamura and Gata Kamsky, for a round-robin competition. True to Salthouse's findings, the players' scores correlated negatively to their ages:
Carlsen: 22 years old – won 4.5 games out of 6 (A half game results from a draw.)
Haraku Nakamura: 25 – 3.5
Levon Aronian: 30 – 2.5
Gata Kamsky: 38 – 1.5
So should chess grandmasters retire at 23?
"No," says Paul McGlothin, president of LivingTheCRWay.com and instructor of online classes for cognitive improvement. "Science shows that people can get rid of the brain fog they experience as they get older." If Viswanathan Anand walked in the door and asked how to get an edge for the upcoming match, McGlothin would first ask him to visit a doctor and have a thorough physical exam.
With his doctor's OK, one idea Anand would be advised to explore is blood sugar management. Research suggests that keeping blood glucose at healthful levels improves short-term intellectual performance and protects against age-related decline of critical parts of the brain that are important for memory and decision making. Further: A pre-game exercise regimen, planned for Anand, could help him relax and improve concentration.
Who wins the world chess championship may not matter to some people, but maintaining a healthy brain interests nearly everyone. People need their brains to function well for everything from remembering names to excelling at work. The same principles Anand can apply to retaining the world chess championship are helpful for any endeavor.
More here.
Gunina is the Russian Chess Queen again, Svidler - Nepom tie
Final standings
1-2 Svidler, Peter 6.5
1-2 Nepomniachtchi, Ian 6.5
3-4 Vitiugov, Nikita 5.5
3-4 Kramnik, Vladimir 5.5
5 Andreikin, Dmitry 5
6-7 Karjakin, Sergey 4.5
6-7 Inarkiev, Ernesto 4.5
8 Goganov, Aleksey 3.5
9 Motylev, Alexander 2.5
10 Shomoev, Anton 1
On the women's side, Gunina wins clear first after taking a draw in a pawn up endgame in the final round.
Interview with WGM Elisabeth Paehtz
WGM Elisabeth Paehtz is the German representative playing at the Indonesia Open Chess Championship (IOCC) 2013. So far the 28 year old chess player has yet to hit her best form at IOCC. The 32nd place finisher at the European Championship 2013 held in Belgrade, Serbia, feels that IOCC is very strong and even if she is not performing as well as she could she is still looking to get a good result so here is what she has to say.
You won your fifth round game. So what is your assessment?
I won but I did not play well. Both my opponent and I made many mistakes. Now you have 3 points from 5 games. Are you satisfied with the result In the previous round I played very badly and made blunders. In fact I have not been playing well for the last six months and have lost many times.
Replay the games of WGM Paehtz here
Do you find playing two games a day to be a problem?
In Europe we don’t normally play two games a day. Also open tournaments are just rounds. I understand why the organizers have done this. They are hoping for improve the chances for their young players to get norm and so the tournament has more rounds than normal. I think that is the difficult part, otherwise two games on some days is not a problem for me.
So what is your target for IOCC?
I want to be among the top three women.
Is it hard to be a woman chess player in Germany?
I am lucky because my father is a GM (Thomas Paehtz) and he guided me until I achieved success. He taught me until I no longer needed a trainer. Now he trains others and I also now also do training as well.
How was your recent trip to Africa?
I am involved in a project with a foundation in Germany that provides education to children. It is likely that in the future I will continue to be involved in projects like this which involves chess and children. I have also coached a Turkish team and have gotten experience as a teacher.
What do you think of the Indonesia women chess players?
The support given to Indonesia women chess is a lot more than I got when I was young. It is clear that Indonesia have concentrated resources to develop its woman chess players and this is shown by the achievement of the WGM title.
Is this your first time to Indonesia?
Yes. I am familiar with Asia. I have been to many Asia counties. Everywhere in Asia people have been very friendly to me so I was not surprised at the reception given by Indonesia peoples. Asians are warm and friendly unlike Europeans who are a little distant. I like it here, the hotel is good and the food delicious. Also I love Asian food.
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