Final Aussie Olympiad Applicants

Applications for this year's Australian Open and Womens Olympiad Teams have now closed. Below are the names of applicants as posted by ACF Selections Director, Dr Bonham over on ChessChat:

Men's
GM David Smerdon
GM Zong-Yuan Zhao
GM Darryl Johansen
IM George Xie
IM Gary Lane
IM Stephen Solomon
IM Alex Wohl
IM Igor Goldenberg

Women's
IM Irina Berezina
WIM Biljana Dekic
WFM Emma Guo
WIM Arianne Caoili
Giang Nguyen
Sarah Anton
WFM Vaness Reid

I'll stick to most of my earlier picks. Probably the only one in the men's who now has a question mark is IM Aleks Wohl. After a poor KL Open, he has just completed the 9th Asian Continental on 2.5 points from nine games! In that light I'd seriously reconsider Solo.

And on the women's side, Moylan opted not to apply, so I'm going for Giang Ngyuyen. To be clear, I think that the combo of Caoili, Berezina-Feldman, Giang, Guo and Reid should head off for Khanty-Mansiysk. That's three proven campaigners plus 2 hungry young guns who, I think, deserve to be groomed for future action.

By the way, if you haven't already, don't forget to put in a little something to this year's Olympiad Appeal.

Crikey on the World Champs

GM Ian Rogers on the World Champs for Crikey:

Even though Anand has now levelled the best-of-12 contest, history is against him. Not since 1892 has a defending World Champion lost the first game of their match and hung on to the title.

Anand, perhaps the greatest natural talent of the modern era, has a mountain to climb to stop Topalov taking the match title to Bulgaria for the first time. And I hate to mention it but he’s got to get over the volcano as well.

Indian Press on Anand

As expected, the Indian press are paying close attention to the Topalov v Anand match in Bulgaria. The Mid Day's Manisha Mohite writes about Anand's 15th move in the second game: "Kasparov was not the only one who raised an eyebrow! This move was the most discussed and debated among enthusiasts to top players and commenting Grandmasters to analysts on various chess websites. Was it a home prepared idea, a blunder, a mediocre move, a stroke of genius or Anand simply playing bluff?"

While over on the Times of India, Hari Hara Nandanan asks if their boy's first game setback was due to human error.

"In fact, an Aussie GM, who has been covering Anand's matches at this level, reported that he (Anand) looked shell-shocked after the game. This is not a good sign because chess lovers would be tempted to go back in time and find a parallel in the game that Garry Kasparov won in New York in 1995 after Anand had taken the lead in the PCA match", writes Hari.

Of course, that Aussie GM is none other than GM Ian Rogers who, by the way, has a couch potato's guide to the whole event here.

No Hurry Back to Delhi

Well, just when it seemed like Topalov was looking to slam dunk his Indian visitor back to Delhi, Vishy Anand pounced last night to level the scores at one apiece. In what Chessbase dubbed a "positional masterpiece", Anand's victory was an emphatic statement: the first game was a mishap and he ain't about to give this Bulgarian an easy run.

What I really like about this game is that it shows Anand's energy, outplaying Topalov instead of merely benefiting from some blunder. I think camp Topalov are starting to worry. They should be worried.

Anand, V.
Topalov, V.
E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. Ne5 c5 7. Na3 cxd4 8. Naxc4 Bc5 9. O-O O-O 10. Bd2 Nd5 11. Rc1 Nd7 12. Nd3 Ba7 13. Ba5 Qe7 14. Qb3 Rb8 15. Qa3 Qxa3 16. bxa3 N7f6 17. Nce5 Re8 18. Rc2 b6 19. Bd2 Bb7 20. Rfc1 Rbd8 21. f4 Bb8 22. a4 a5 23. Nc6 Bxc6 24. Rxc6 h5 25. R1c4 Ne3 26. Bxe3 dxe3 27. Bf3 g6 28. Rxb6 Ba7 29. Rb3 Rd4 30. Rc7 Bb8 31. Rc5 Bd6 32. Rxa5 Rc8 33. Kg2 Rc2 34. a3 Ra2 35. Nb4 Bxb4 36. axb4 Nd5 37. b5 Raxa4 38. Rxa4 Rxa4 39. Bxd5 exd5 40. b6 Ra8 41. b7 Rb8 42. Kf3 d4 43. Ke4 1-0

Ex-BCF Man Reach Quarters

While the whole chess world is keeping a close eye on the proceedings in Bulgaria, there is another story that's worth mentioning. Although, I'll be the first to admit, the chessic connection is somewhat distant nowadays.

One-time boss of the then British Chess Federation and co-author (with GM David Norwood) of the book, "Steve Davis Plays Chess" (1995), the man himself, Steve Davis, is a step closer to winning his seventh World Snooker Championship title. Last Friday, the 52 year old Davis defeated the current world title-holder John Higgins to reach the quarter finals of the event and, in the process, also became the oldest man to reach the quarters since Aussie, Eddie Charlton.

This is Davis' 30th appearance in the world championships and the last time he won the title was way back in 1989!

9th Asian Continental

After Kuala Lumpur, international master Aleks Wohl headed up to the Philippines to play in the currently ongoing 9th Asian Continental tournament held in Olongapo City, Subic Bay. Aleks is still clearly in some kind of extended holiday mode because his scores are, well, not quite what gets the fans excited.

After 3 games, he is only on a half point. To be fair, his first round foe was Chinese powerhouse GM Ni Hua and this is also a pretty strong event.

9th Asian Continental/Individual (Open)
WOHL, Aleksandar
NI, Hua
D76

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. O-O O-O 7. d4 Nb6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. e4 c6 11. Nd4 e6 12. Nb3 Nac4 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Qc2 a5 15. a4 Qe7 16. Nd2 Ba6 17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. b3 Qf6 19. bxc4 Qxc3 20. Qxc3 Bxc3 21. Bh6 Bxa1 22. Bxf8 Kxf8 23. Rxa1 c5 24. e5 Rb8 25. Bc6 Bxc4 26. Rc1 Bb3 27. Bb5 c4 28. Rc3 Rd8 29. Bxc4 Bxa4 30. Be2 Be8 31. Rc7 g5 32. Bf3 a4 33. Ra7 Rc8 34. Kg2 Kg7 35. Be4 Rc3 36. Kh3 a3 37. f3 h5 38. Kg2 Bb5 39. Kf2 g4 40. f4 Rc4 0-1

A couple of games are broadcast live here.

Shredder Chess for the iPad

I was a bit sceptical about the strength of these new chess programs for the iPad, but now I see one that's familiar. And this one's definitely got some serious horsepower.

Shredder for your iPad.

Mystery of Chess Boxing

Forget about modern day chess boxing, these old Chinese guys are the real deal. This one's a real classic from 1979, Mystery of Chess Boxing.

You should be able to find the other parts on Youtube.

Give Anand a Fair Go

I'm getting totally confused with what's happening to the Topalov v Anand match. Is it a go or not?

The opening ceremony is supposed to be today and game 1 on Friday.

Chessbase is reporting that FIDE is considering a postponement (with a "decision to follow"), while some external press report is flatly saying that there will be no delay.

In any case, it strikes me as massively unfair to insist that the match should start on schedule. A 40-hour drive, and all of it could not have been through picturesque surroundings, can be energy-sapping. Anand and his team should have time to relax and settle in.

The right thing to do for these Bulgarians is to quit behaving like spoilt brats and give the Indian bloke a fair go!

The chess world demands a fair contest.

UPDATE: Here's an exclusive photo of the press con that was arrange for TCG and our readers by the good guys over at ChessDom. These guys are well-connected in Bulgaria so I hope that they're coverage will outclass all others. There's more from ChessDom on their album site.

Anand Requests Postponement

Various news websites in India and the ICC are reporting that Vishy Anand's team have requested a postponement to the start of his match with Topalov because the Indian has been stuck in Frankfurt. The ICC's newsletter today has the following entry (not available online):

The power and wrath of Mother Nature came into dramatic clarity recently as Eyjafjallajökull, the glacier-topped Icelandic volcano threw world air travel into turmoil - and it could well have an impact on the upcoming Topalov-Anand World Championship match in Sofia, Bulgaria!

World champion Vishy Anand has been stranded at Frankfurt Airport and has asked FIDE, via the All India Chess Federation, for a 3-day postponement in the match due to start on Friday, April 23rd, citing force majeure conditions stipulated in the playing contract for the match.

However, his request may not be met as things seem to be beginning to clear up, and even UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, has instructed that all of next week's all-important European semifinal matches will have to go ahead as planned, regardless of the travel situation.

FEU Crowned Champions

One of the most important fixtures in the Philippine chess calendar is the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) chess competition. It is during these intercollegiate contests that many future stars of RP chess begin to make their name. One name to look out for in the future is the 2009-10 season's MVP, Sheider Nebato.

Nebato played for the champion team, Far Eastern University, amassing 11 points from fourteen games, and bagging the gold medal for board 3. In this game, he is seen on the white side of one of my old favourites - the Saemisch against the KID.

UAAP 2009-10
Nebato, Sheider
Reyes, Ferdinand
E80

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 Nbd7 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 h5 8. Qd2 a59. Bd3 b6 10. Nge2 Nc5 11. Bc2 Bd7 12. b3 Nh7 13. a3 Qe7 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Kb2 f5 16. Nc1 f4 17. Bf2 g5 18. h3 Rf6 19. b4 axb4 20. axb4 Na4+ 21. Bxa4 Bxa4 22. Nb3 Bxb3 23. Kxb3 Qd7 24. Ra1 Rff8 25. Qe2 Nf6 26. Ra2 g4 27. hxg4 hxg4 28. Rha1 Rxa2 29. Rxa2 gxf3 30. gxf3 Qh3 31. Ra7 Rf7 32. Nb5 Ne8 33. Ra8 Kf8 34. c5 bxc5 35. bxc5 Ke7 36. Na7 Rf8 37. Nc6+ Kf6 38. Ra1 Rh8 39. Rg1 Bf8 40. Rg4 dxc5

Position after 40...dxc5

41. Nxe5 Kxe5 42. Rg6 Nf6 43. Qb2+ 1-0

The final placings are as follows:

Champions: Far Easter University
2nd place: University of the East
3rd place: University of Santo Tomas
4th place: De la Salle University
5th place: University of the Philippines
6th place: Adamson University
7th place: National University
8th place: Ateneo de Manila University

My thanks to former RP men's Olympiad team captain Bobby Ang for the information. Bobby, of course, writes a weekly column for BusinessWorld and you can read his extended coverage of the UAAP results online.

Anand - Topalov Playing Hall

Just a little under a week out from the much-hyped contest between Topalov and Anand, ChessDom has published a sneak peek into the battle ground. Here's one of them. Hopefully, TCG can get at least one exclusive photo now and then from these guys throughout the event!

2010 Olympiad Fund Appeal

Look to the right and you'll see a new addition to the blog. It's a banner that links to this year's ACF Olympiad Fund Appeal.

For site owners or bloggers, I have created a handful of banners that you can freely download from my flickr stream and integrate into your web pages. These are all made using the standard Internet Advertising Bureau banner sizes, so there ought to be little problems with design integration. I'm planning to create a skyscraper, too, for sites that prefer that format, but that will take me some time.

For everyone else (of course, I mean my Aussie readers), do make sure that you contribute to this year's Olympiad Fund. I know first hand that it's deeply appreciated by the players. When I was in Dresden in 2008, I spoke to the players and they couldn't believe how much money they got! The money helps aplenty with air fares and other costs.

Two years ago, I think the ACF hit about nineteen grand with a much lower target. This year the goal is higher at $32K. Hopefully, we can take a significant chunk off of that!

Hou Yifan Wins in KL

Sixteen year old grandmaster Hou Yifan prevailed in the KL open with a score of 7.5 points from nine games. She was undefeated throughout the event. Vietnamese grandmaster A.N. Dung and GM Mikheil Mchedlishvili settled for equal second place with 7 points apiece.

IM Aleks Wohl never really recovered from his earlier mishaps and only, in fact, managed to post two further losses later in the tournament. He finished with 50 percent score. Still, IM Wohl did a bit better than the two Kiwis in the event, Vivian and Robert Smith, who scored 3.5 and four points respectively

Super Friends vs Checkmate

The name "Smallville" is quite familiar to chess fans the world over. Not only is it a popular TV series, but it is also the chessclub.com moniker of one grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. If I'm not mistaken Naka actually took that name from the TV show.

Now it seems that Smallville's producers are making their own homage of sorts to the game. Episode no. 916 has a chess theme.

Chris Carabott wrote a review here:

The opening sequence delivered some great action beats and played on the chess motif that continued to be carried throughout the entirety of "Checkmate." I really enjoyed how every other scene throughout the episode really did feel like a chess piece being played by either side. It gave the story a great pace throughout and the action and story never letup. Smallville could stand to have more of this type of pacing in their episodes.

Singaporean Shines in SIO

FM Daniel Fernandez of Singapore would have to be the standout in the on-going Sydney International Open. Going into today's final round, the 15-year old is on 6 points, the same as four others who are all grandmasters! Just as well really since Daniel has drawn with 2 of them and beaten one GM-aspirant.

Sadly, that victim is Aussie IM George Xie.

2010 Sydney International Open
Xie, George
Fernandez, Daniel
C66

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Re1 O-O 10. h3 Re8 11. Qf3 c5 12. Nf5 Bxf5 13. Qxf5 g6 14. Qf3 Nd7 15. b3 Bf6 16. Bb2 Ne5 17. Qg3 Rb8 18. Nd5 Nf3+ 19. Qxf3 Bxb2 20. Rad1 Bg7 21. Qf4 c4 22. Qc1 c6 23. Nf4 Qa5 24. a4 Qc5 25. Qe3 Qxe3 26. Rxe3 Rb4 27. g3 cxb3 28. Rxb3 Rd4 29. Rxd4 Bxd4 30. Rb4 Rxe4 31. Kf1 Re1+ 32. Kg2 Rd1 33. Kf3 Rd2 34. Ne2 Bb6 35. Rc4 Bc5 36. c3 Kg7 37. Nd4 Kf6 38. g4 Ke5 39. Nxc6+ Kd5 40. Na5 Bb6 41. Rb4 Rxf2+ 42. Kg3 Rc2 43. c4+ Ke6 44. Nb3 Rc3+ 45. Kg2 f5 46. a5 Be3 47. gxf5+ gxf5 48. a6 f4 49. Rb7 h5 50. c5 dxc5 51. Na5 c4 52. Nc6 Ra3 53. Rh7 Kd5 54. Ne7+ Ke4 55. h4 Ra2+ 56. Kh3 Bg1 57. Rxh5 Kf3 0-1

Australia's IM George Xie, who secured his third GM norm last week, will have to wait a litte more to finally bag that GM title, especially when he loses like this.

2010 Sydney International Open
Xie, George
Steadman, Michael
C04

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. c3 f6 7. exf6 Qxf6 8. Bb5 a6 9. Qa4?? axb5 Oops! Just like that. 10. Qxb5 Not 10. Qxa8 because of 10...Nb6 and the Q is trapped. Kiwi Steadman is no mug and Xie could have just resigned on the spot. But perhaps wanting to avoid an embarassing miniature, he keeps going on a bit anyway. 10... Bd6 11. a4 O-O 12. a5 Ne7 13. h4 e5 14. Qb3 Kh8 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. O-O Bg4 17. Ng5 h6 18. f4 hxg5 19. hxg5 Qg6 20. Ra4 Bc5+ 21. Rd4 N5c6 22. Nf3 Bxf3 23. gxf3 Qd3 24. Qxb7 Nxd4 25. cxd4 Bxd4+ 0-1

Film: "Chess Fever"

Few nations can equal the Russians in terms of contribution to chess. They gave us the biggest names, important opening systems and innovations as well as other ideas on the playing of chess. They also left us with "Chess Fever".

Chess Fever is a film by director, Vsevolod Pudovkin and released in 1925. It's a comedy about a man who risks losing his bride-to-be because of his devotion to chess. Of course, it's a silent movie, but anyone who reads Russian should particularly enjoy this one.

Jeremy Silman has an old review here from 2004.

Chess' Answer to Poker

A new online chess site has just been launched and this one adds a little profit incentive on the side for those interested in playing for money. From their PR release:

ChessStars.net launches their new chess website with tournaments for cash prizes, and offers a number of game play options including a new variation of the game: Random Piece Chess. ChessStars.net is a family owned business supported by an international team of contributors who help develop and promote the game of chess all over the world.

More from PR Web.

A Kangaroo or a Knight

Why does Australia have so few grandmasters?

That's the question in the minds of the boys over on Chessvibes. After a couple of incidents involving errant knights, it seems that the answer is obvious. We Aussies just haven't got a clue about the basics!

Good Times in KL Open

Did I say Malaysian ambush? Did I say something about laksa? Peter Long can be as modest as he likes to be, but I know one Australian who's having a good time in the currently ongoing KL Open (useless website, but check here).

International master Aleks Wohl is enjoying himself so much that he's dropped a couple of games! In the second round, the Australian lost to Ronnie Lim (2294) then lost again in the next round to Jahongir Vakhidov (2177).

Admittedly, both opponents are no mugs but methinks one of our favourite IMs is just having too much fun. Flying with Emirates, being smoke free, food aplenty. Sheesh, that's the life.

From his blog:

After my winge yesterday I thought I'd share a happy story with you. Flying Emirates is a Joy. Great website, nice modern fleet, only downside, too many movies to choose from to get any sleep. I ended up watching "Men who stare at Goats" and "Corporation". The Airport is the best I can think of. After a refreshing shower we are now enjoying free Wi-Fi at a cafe with HUGE Cappuccino's.

Note that there are 2 kiwis in the field - FM Robert Smith and wife, Vivian. Robert is doing just slightly better than Wohl after winning two games in a row.

Church Chess Pieces Stolen

Scoop online, from New Zealand, reports that, "The Christchurch City Council is asking for the public's help in getting back five of the much loved Cathedral Square chess pieces. The pieces went missing over the Easter weekend when they are inadvertently left out overnight."

Read here.

SIO 2010 Begins

What is it about knights?

In last year's SIO, former Australian Junior Champion (1982) Paul Broekhuyse resigned his position after a knight fork. Except that his opponent's move was actually an illegal one.

In today's first round of Sydney International Open 2010, it happened again, this time to no less a seasoned player than grandmaster Daryl Johansen!

Ansell, A - Johansen, D., 1-0

It looks like that knight made the supposed-to-be-impossible f4-h2 maneouvre. And now: 32... Rb4 33. Nf3 One... 33...Nh5 34. Ng5 Two... 34...Nf6 35. Ne6 BANG! The GM is kaput! 1-0

Doubtless both players were in severe time trouble and simply overlooked the mishap. Such is chess.

Coverage of the SIO tournament is here.

Chess on the iPad

Apple's latest device, the iPad, hit the streets on the weekend, but til now I'm still a little vague as to what this thing is supposed to be for. In case you've not heard of it or just want a short primer, then this vid by CNET might help.



Honestly, this strikes me as nothing more than a lot of marketing hype (and there is none better at the game than Apple) for something that isn't really filling a need. Some folks even think it's stupid.

Regardless, Apple fanboys who also happen to be chess fanatics (yes, I know there's a few out there) can rejoice. For there are at least 3 chess apps for the iPad now available on the iTunes store. These are Chess Pro, Chess-wise and tChess Pro.

Where is Chessbase in all of this? Or maybe they're just too busy thinking about the next stupid April Fool's joke that only their German sense of humour can understand.

Doeberl From Afar

It's quite painful to watch the Doeberl Cup proceedings from afar. Wish I was there, I keep saying to myself. But even more painful is when their damn website just can't take the traffic and decides to fall over. Like at this very moment, for instance, as I type!

Anyway, I have to say congrats to a couple of guys for earning their norms. It's just been confirmed over on Australia's number one chess bulletin board, Chess Chat, that FM Tomek Rej and Moulthun Ly have secured IM norms. I think it's Rej's second (could be wrong), but I'm pretty sure that Ly now has his 3rd. Moulthun bagged a pair of IM norms in 2006, so he's taken a while to secure the last one.

Kudos also to IM George Xie. At the rate he's going, he'll be a GM in no time. And if the Olympiad selectors won't be half-drunk or smoking crack, Xie should be heading for the Olympiad.

UPDATE (5 Apr, 11.19PM): IM Xie beat GM Kunte to secure his third and final grandmaster norm. All he has to do now is raise his rating to over 2500 and that's it! Here's the game.

Doeberl Cup 2010
Kunte, Abhijeet
Xie, George
A60

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O a6 10. a4 Re8 11. Bf4 Nh5 12. Bd2 Nd7 13. Rb1 c4 14. b4 cxb3 15. Rxb3 Nc5 16. Rb4 Nf6 17. Nd4 Bg4 18. h3 Bd7 19. Nb3 a5 20. Rh4 Rc8 21. Nd4 Qb6 22. Ndb5 Bf5 23. g4 Be4 24. g5 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Nfe4 26. Nxe4 Nxe4 27. Be3 Qd8 28. Rg4 Rc4 29. Qd3 Rb4 30. Rc1 f5 31. gxf6 Qxf6 32. Nc7 Re5 33. Ne6 Rxe6 34. dxe6 Qxe6 35. Rb1 d5 36. f3 h5 37. Rh4 Bf6 38. Rf4 g5 39. Rxf6 Nxf6 40. Qg6+ Kh8 41. Kf2 Ng4+ 0-1

I told you so. Bastards!

I'm not a closet GM for nothing. I was right. People love lightning. Something called 'random chess' is just bullshit.

This year, the Doeberl Cup organisers got something right: they brought back the lightning. And according to the head honcho arbiter, the numbers were more than in last year's random rubbish.

Here's an important tip to newbie organisers: don't mess with tradition buddy. Leave it alone!

Naroditsky Copied Dvoretsky?

Last week I posted about this new book by some kid in the US named Daniel Naroditsky. He's a 14-year old FIDE master who's been dubbed by no less than the USCF as the "youngest chess author ever".

I've not read the book, but Arne Moll over on Chessvibes has and he's written a review about it here.

Mr Moll seems totally convinced and describes our child author as, "[a] self-conscious and modest, realistic and reasonable author with an amazing talent for explaining what’s going on during a game of chess. I hope this review doesn’t make him spoiled, because I am already eagerly awaiting his next book, which I hope is just as refreshing as Mastering Positional Chess."

But Chessvibes readers are clearly a clever and attentive lot, pointing to possible improprietites. That led our reviewer, Arne, to this: "In conclusion, I’d say we shouldn’t focus too much on a few examples where Naroditsky perhaps copied too optimistically from their or other sources. His book stands as an excellent resource for learning positional chess – a kind of modernized Dvoretsky ‘light’, you could say."

We wait for a press release from FM Daniel Naroditsky and his publisher rebutting that accusation.

For Princes and Paupers

If you've sufficiently recovered from the GCT (I don't know what the hell I was thinking. I meant "GFC", as in the global financial crisis) blues and have a few thousand quid to spare, then why not head off to Christie's auction rooms on 18 May? Starting at 10.30AM, the auction house's Interiors department will put on sale from truly fine specimens of chess set craftmanship.

From the Art Daily:

One highlight from the sale is a French carved ivory figural chess set from the late 19th, early 20th century (estimate: £10,000-15,000). Originally forming part of The Allen Hofrichter Collection this detailed historical polychrome example depicts the iconic figure of Napoleon Bonaparte versus the Duke of Wellington.

On the other hand, if that's just a bit out of your budget, then why not settle for the iPad?



Courtesy of the GameTable.