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.