Aussies in Armenia

First round has been played and we have the results from Armenia. There are 3 Aussies playing in this event. In the Girls section, WFM Shannon Oliver drew her game against WFM Miranda Mikadze of Georgia. Shannon is slated to play another WFM in the next round - Alexandra Savurko.

In the Juniors section, we are represented by Sydneysiders Nick Chernih and Tomek Rej. Chernih had an excellent start by drawing against French FM Samy Shoker while Rej sadly lost to Russian FM Roman Nechepurenko.

The lone Pinoy in this event, John-Paul Gomez, last night lost to Chinese powerhouse GM Yue Wang.

Official website

Paper Chess Set

Sometimes, when I'm checking to see traffic to this blog, I often find new incoming links from fellow bloggers. One such link is from e4c5.net. The first thing I saw when I checked out that site is a little bit of, uumm...toilet humour in honour of you know what. And I'm finding it hard to resist - so here it is.


Yes, that's made out of toilet paper. By prisoners! With thanks to www.e4c5.net.

Canfell's Brilliancy

This just in. As promised, here is a game between Greg Canfell and Kevin O'Chee from the weekend's Ryde-Easwood Open. 19. dxc6 is brilliant, a temporary rook sacrifice. I can't provide diagrams as I am on my work PC. Enjoy!

Annotations by Greg Canfell
Ryde-Eastwood Open
Greg Canfell
Kevin O'Chee

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.Be3 Nd4 7.Nge2 Ne7 8.h4 d6 9.h5 Qb6 10.Rb1 e5 11.Bg5 Qa5 12.h6 Bf8 13.a3 Bg4 14.Kf1 Nec6 15.Rh4 Be6 16.b4 Qc7 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 Nxe2 19.dxc6!! Nc3 20.cxb7 Rb8 21.Qf3 Nxb1 22.Qc6+ Qd7 23.Qa6 d5 24.Qf6 Qf5 (24...Qe6 25.Qxh8 Rxb7 26.c4 Nc3 27.Bd2) 25.Bxd5 Qxf6 26.Bxf6 Be7 27.Bxh8 f6 28.bxc5 Nxa3 29.Ra4 Nxc2 30.c6 Bd6 31.Rc4 Bc7 32.Rxc2 Ke7 33.Bg7 a5 34.f4 exf4 35.gxf4 1-0

FIDE VP Speaks Out

Our friend Goran Urosevic, who blogs for Chess News and Events, recently asked FIDE vice president Geoffrey D Borg for his opinion on the recent events in Elista.

We have all learned an important lesson, I believe, and this is the urgent need to have a professional setup, from start to finish, in all FIDE related events if we really wish to bring back global sponsors to our game, or if we realistically aspire to become an Olympic sport.

Mr Borg's whole response can be read on the WCN site.

Toth Wins Ryde-Eastwood

IM Andras Toth won the 3-day long Ryde-Eastwood Open this afternoon with a score of 6.5 points. Presently engaged in Canberra as a chess coach, the Hungarian breezed through the event conceding a single draw to FM Igor Bjelorbk in the seventh round.

One of Andras' victims was top seed GM Ian Rogers. The final position was so shocking that it is hard to believe that the losing player is one of the most theoretically knowledgeable GMs around. We can only wonder where GM Rogers went wrong. 12...0-0-0 maybe?

Ryde-Eastwood Open
Toth, Andras
Rogers, Ian
C64

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 f5 5. d4 fxe4 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Bd6 8. Qh5+ g6 9. Qe2 Qh4 10. Nd2 Bf5 11. h3 (11. g4 is the main line.) 11... Bxe5 12. dxe5 O-O-O 13. g4

After 13. g4

13...e3 14. Qxe3 Bd3 15. Nf3 Qe7 16. Qxa7 Qf7 17. Bg5 Qxf3 18. Qa8+ Kd7 19. Qxd8+ Ke6 20. Qe8+ Kd5 21. Qd7+ Kc5 22. Be3+ Kb5 23. Qxd3+ 1-0

I arrived at the venue just in time to observe this exciting last round duel on board one. Toth looks to be winning but happily accepted a draw offer by Igor. He was worried about his time as well as the possibility of e4-e3 plus a check with a Queen on e4. The Hungarian thought it quite "dangerous".

Ryde-Eastwood Open
Toth, Andras
Bjelobrk, Igor
B47

1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. f4 a6 7. Nxc6 Qxc6 8. Bd3 b5 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Bc5 11. O-O-O Ne7 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qh4 f5 14. a3 b4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Kb1 Rb8 17. Nd5

After 17. Nd5

17...Bc5 18. Bc3 exd5 19. exd5 Qa4 20. Bxh8 Bxd5 21. c4 Bxg2 22. Rhe1 Be4 23. Bxe4 fxe4 24. Qxh7 Qxc4 25. Be5 Rb4 26. Qh8+ Kf7 1/2-1/2

And just in case you think that we always feature a won game by FM Greg Canfell, this one is a lost effort to the eventual winner. Greg, however, has promised that he will soon publish a game he played against Kevin O'Chee, in the fourth round, wherein he sacked a whole Rook on the way to victory. We can't wait for that one.

Ryde-Eastwood Open
Canfell, Greg
Toth, Andras
B25

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. f4 e6 7. Nf3 Nge7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bd2 b6 10. Rb1 Bb7 11. a3 Rc8 12. g4 f5 13. exf5 exf5 14. Ng5 Qd7 15. Nd5 h6 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Nh3 Bd4+ 18. Nf2 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Bxf2 20. Rxf2 fxg4 21. h3 gxh3+ 22. Kh2 Rce8 23. Qf3 Rf5 24. Rg1 Kh7 25. Rg3 Rh5 26. Bc3 Nd5 27. Bd2 Nf6 28. Rf1 Qf7 29. Rfg1 Rg8 30. Bc3 Rf5 31. Qc6 Qd5 32. Qc7+ Rg7 33. Qd8 Rxf4 34. Kxh3 Qh5+ 35. Kg2 Qe2+ 36. Kh3 Rf2 37. R3g2 Qh5+ 38. Kg3 Rf3# 0-1

Top scorers (provisional)
6.5 - Andras Toth
6.0 - George Xie
5.5 - Ian Rogers, Igor Bjelobrk, Greg Canfell

Big Number for Arianne Caoili

While the whole chess world are all agog over the events in Elista, Aussie chess fans have another chess story, sort of, to keep an eye on at least for the next few weeks. That is, the progress of Arianne Caoili in Dancing with the Stars. Feedback from last Saturday when I visited the Ryde-Eastwood Open was definitely on the upside. A mother of a NSW junior even called out for an emergency copy of the first show because her son, evidently an avid fan of Arianne's, missed last Tuesday's performance.

Tomorrow night, at 7.30PM on channel 7, will be Arianne's second performance on the show. TCG understands that Arianne and partner Carmelo have a "big number" coming up.

And in this week's issue of women's rag New Idea, Arianne and other members of the show appear posing for a spring fashion photoshoot. They look like a bunch of wannabe upper class New England tossers. Home & Away's Chris Hemsworth, for example, appears exactly like what former Labour leader Mark Latham calls "nervous wrecks, metrosexual knobs and toss bags".

I mean, what is with that sloppy joe wrapped around his neck for crying out loud? Who does that these days?

1st President Arroyo Cup

International chess is set to make a return to Philippine shores when the 1st President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup is held there in November this year. At USD$26,000 the total prize fund is very generous.

Pinoy journo Marlon Bernardino informs me that the official venue will be the NAIA Duty Free Shop in Paranaque City. Overseas players who are interested in competing should contact the organisers. Details can be found on this page.

Arise Veselin Wimpalov

As you no doubt would have heard by now, it's game on tonight in Elista. But for some pundits the situation is not quite right. Score count will resume at 3:2, in Kramnik's favour. One of those points to Topalov was the free point he received in game 5 when his opponent, Vladimir Kramnik, failed to front up.

Why does this Bulgarian insist on carrying with a World Championship with a free point? Both Mig and Susan Polgar have asked him to give it back. The problem here, I think, is that Topa is probably acting on the advise of his manager Danailov. Any backdown now will mean that both, but to a greater extent Danailov, will lose face.

Quoted by Bulgaria's Focus News Agency: "All the negotiations on my part are being led by my personal manager Silvio Danailov".

Well Topalov, we say, think for yourself mate! Be honourable and give back the point. Save chess. Be the hero! Or else, we'll have to start calling this Bulgarian, "Wimpalov" - a moniker that an ICCer used a couple of days ago.

Are you a wimp Veselin?

Aussie Trio Beat Kiwis

International masters Guy West and Stephen Solomon finished equal first in the George Trundle Masters tournament in New Zealand. Both collected a total of 7 points.

Another Australian, FM Tim Reilly, slotted himself in third place finishing with 6.5 points out of nine. Reilly also bagged the extra prize of an IM norm.

More information is available from the official website.

Auckland IM Tournament (NZ)
Steadman, Michael
Solomon, Stephen
C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. Bd3 d5 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Qc2 h6 12. O-O Qd6 13. Re1 Be6 14. Rb1 b6 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Be4 Rad8 17. Rb5 a6 18. Rh5 Bg4 19. Rd5 Qf6 20. Rxd8 Bxd8 21. Bxc6 Qxc6 22. Ba3 Rg8 23. Ne5 Qe6 24. d5 Qf5 25. Qa4 Be2 26. f4 Bh5 27. h3 g5 28. fxg5 Bxg5 29. Qe4 Qxe4 30. Rxe4 f5 31. Rc4 c5 32. dxc6 Be2 33. Rd4 Be3+ 34. Kh2

After 34. Kh2

34...Bf1 35. g3 f4 36. Ng6+ Rxg6 37. Rd8+ Kg7 38. Rd7+ Kg8 39. Rd8+ Kf7 40. Rd7+ Ke8 41. Re7+ Kd8 42. c7+ Kc8 43. g4 h5 44. g5 Rxg5 45. Bd6 Rg2+ 46. Kh1 Rg8 0-1

Dion's Chess Podcast

We now have permission from Dion to post his podcast here while he searches for a suitable host. As usual, just click on the 'play' button. There's been a couple of feedback saying that they found it difficult to download the MP3 file or simply couldn't find the dowload link at all. So hopefully, this makes it easier for you.


powered by ODEO