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(This page holds news items archived from the year, 2005.)
I
don't believe in throwing anything away. Here I will save and/or archive all previous articles.
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NOTE: Many of these links may NOT be valid!! (No point in trying to update old links.)
Are you looking for the latest news on Bobby Fischer? If you are, then please click here.
The U.S. Chess Federation has begun the process of moving out of its building in NY, and moving departments to Crossville, TN. They currently are using two different addresses. [ more ] [ more ]
2005
******************************************************************************************************
America loses U.S. Champ - GM A. Denker; February 20th, 1914 - January 2nd, 2005
The chess world has suffered a cruel blow - GM Arnold Denker passed away January 02; just when he was in sight of his 91st birthday. (Apparently, Denker had been battling cancer for over a year, although I did not know this.) I was truly - deeply - saddened by this news, I feel a lost a dear friend.
Denker was not only a very good chess player, he was also a very good and a kindly man. My heart (and condolences) goes out to his family ... he was a valued member of our FL chess community. He will be VERY sorely missed - by EVERYONE who ever had the pleasure to know him!!! Au revoir.
[ The FL Ledger Story ] [ The TWIC News Story ] [ The USCF Press Release ]
|
GM
Arnold Denker, 1914–2005 |
-----> Later I plan to have a page devoted to this player. I want to have a biography, an annotated game, some career highlights etc. (I now have a file ready of Denker's games, I will send the "star-dot-cbv" file - via email - to anyone who requests it. Many of these games were entered by hand, I worked for approximately two weeks preparing this file.)
*******
Here I feel it is appropriate to relate a true story about my friend, Arnold Sheldon Denker.
I went to a tournament back in the 1970's ... we were in the height of the Fischer boom. I had a tremendous amount of respect for this dear man, and he was almost universally respected.
He called me out in the hall during a chess tournament, I thought I was in big trouble - he had a stern, an almost angry look on his face. He told me, "A.J. you are disturbing my chess game!" I responded with, "But I was not talking!" He shot back with: "True ... but your stomach is making so much noise ... that I can barely hear myself think!" {I was embarrassed, I almost cried. I apologized to him and related how I had come to this tournament on a shoe-string budget.} Then suddenly he broke into a wide - sort of grandfatherly - grin, he had such a merry twinkle in his eye. He handed me a five-dollar bill and said something like: "Do all of us serious chess players a favor, go get something to eat!"
That was (my friend) Arnold S. Denker.
GM
A. Denker - GM R. Fine;
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If you can get a copy, I highly recommend Denker's book of his best games. Good reading!
*******
The Winter (2005) edition of "floridaChess" is out. It is full of articles about our beloved Arnold Denker.
If you would like a copy, please visit the F.C.A. website ... to join; or at least order a copy of this wonderful magazine.
Garry and FIDE, WCS Cycle, 2005.
The on again, off again, match between Kasparov and Kasimzhanov is apparently on again ... although I am not holding my breath. There are many drawbacks to this approach by FIDE: they were very tardy in coming up with the guarantees, they pick questionable locales, and seem to be unable of securing top corporate sponsorship. (They seem to prefer dictators and third world countries, who have deep pockets but come up short on little things like human rights.) [more]
***
Tuesday; December 14th, 2004: I keep hearing different things ... first the match is a "go," then somebody else nixes that by turning on the red light. (I sent an e-mail to a FIDE representative ... he referred me to the following article. BUT, this article is extremely old!) ChessBase reported - in several different articles - that the match was indeed on. However, the latest CB article only confirms that FIDE has terminated negotiations with Dubai. LCC/TWIC has {also} reported - in issue # 527 - << As intimated last week the Kasparov vs Kasimdzhanov has been cancelled in Dubai and FIDE are looking for new sponsors. Without this match FIDE and Kasparov are in danger of being locked out of any reunification process. The possibility of the match prevented Kasparov playing in Wijk aan Zee. >> - Mark Crowther.
Once more - FIDE, at least under its current leadership, has showed complete incompetence - and the inability to stage any match or tournament ... that is not sponsored by third world despots. Once more I suggest to the chess world, that FIDE is an unworkable body ... and should be scrapped.
Meanwhile, if this match does not come off, Kasparov may not be included in the reunification process. Further - we have been denied the appearance of the world's most exciting player at one of the year's MOST interesting tournaments. The chess world should be disgusted and outraged!!
*******
Thursday; January 20th, 2005: As I have said repeatedly, FIDE is unable to put on a WCS match. This body was supposed to be in the process of organizing a match between Garry Kasparov and Rustam Kasimdzhanov, the winner of the KO tournament in Tripoli, Libya. However, constant failures by FIDE and a continual juggling of venues has exasperated the former champ to the point that he has given up on the entire process. FIDE responded by asking - yet again - for more time.
[ Garry speaks out - & withdraws from the 2005 cycle.]
[ FIDE's position and their response ] [ TWIC article (with some key links) ]
CORUS / Wijk aan Zee, NED; '05 (January, 2005.)
I was deeply disturbed - and just plain old ticked off - that Kasparov was unable to participate, so initially I was not going to report on this tournament ... just bring you the news and results, after the last round. But there has been LOTS of action at the annual "CORUS Chess Tournament," (Wijk aan Zee, in the Netherlands); with many decisive games. (I have watched a few of the games on the Internet.) And although Garry was not able to play due to the stupidity of FIDE; V. Kramnik, V. Anand, M. Adams, P. Svidler, GM Judit Polgar are playing ... and a galaxy of other chess stars as well. Currently, (Jan. 24th, 2005); GM Veselin Topalov is in clear first, but only by half a point. (The group of players - P. Leko, M. Adams, and Vishy Anand are hot on his heels.) Pretty good chess - so far.
Lots of interesting action, you should check it out! (Follow the action on nearly any chess server.)
[ The CB Round # 08 report ] [ The official website ] [ Live coverage ]
********************************************************************
The annual super event, "The CORUS Chess Tournament," which featured some of the world's best players, was won by GM Peter Leko, who seemed to benefit from the chess lessons learned in his WCS Match with Kramnik last year. Leko finished with four wins, no losses, and nine draws to take clear first. While this might not initially sound extremely impressive, the event did have most of the best players in the world today! (With the exception, of course, of GM Garry Kasparov.)
I watched/followed many of the games via the Internet. Leko defeated Anand, Short, Svidler and newcomer Lazaro Bruzon. He seemed never to be in a bad position or defending. Some of his wins were very impressive. Anand lost a key game to Leko, in retrospect, this loss cost him the tournament. Topalov was the leader for most of the event, however his Round 10 loss to Judit Polgar ruined his chances to win this event.
Vishy Anand had a pretty good tournament, he was on a winning streak that never seemed to end. Veselin Topalov came in clear third. Polgar, Grischuk, and Adams were tied for 4th through 6th places. Naturally this is a very ambitious bunch, the rest of the players could not be satisfied with their result. Especially noteworthy was the mediocre play of the world champion, GM V. Kramnik. (I think there is no question that Kasparov would crush him in a match today.) Svidler, Short, and Morozevich were just off-form ... I don't think any of the players in this group are washed up. The tail-ender, GM Ivan Sokolov, either had a disastrous tournament ... or should not have played in such a prestigious event.
[ The CB story ] [ The article from the TWIC coverage of the event ] [ history ]
IM David Shengelia of Georgia and GM Mikhail Brodsky of Ukraine, (tied) won the Cappelle-la-Grande Open with 7.5 points over nine rounds. This is a huge annual tournament, but it seems a bit odd to stage it when it seems to conflict with a host of other events. (Aeroflot, Linares, etc.) I watched two of the rounds via the Internet ... there was some very exciting chess being played. Congratulations to the winners!
[ Official web site ] [ Final CB story ] [ Current LCC story ] [ TWIC coverage ]
This has become simply one of the biggest opens in the world, more titled players show up for this one than maybe anywhere else in the world. A truly monstrous event!
GM Emil Sutovsky must have wanted it worse than anyone else, he had to win in the last (9th) round with the Black pieces ... and he did. Joining him, with 6.5 points were GM Andrei Kharlov, GM Vassily Ivanchuk, GM Alexander Motylev, and GM Vladimir Akopian.
This event was a real dogfight among the leaders, the lead changed hands nearly every round. Once again - thanks to the modern miracle of the Internet - I was able to sit at home and watch many of these games. Some really great chess was played! (One example.)
Of the American contingent, only Yermolinsky and Shabalov scored well, finishing with a solid five points. I have not had time to digest everything ... so much goes on at this fantastic tournament!! (Check out the links below for more stories and a few pictures.)
[ Official web site ] [ Final CB story ] [ Current LCC story ] [ TWIC coverage ]
Super GM Tournament / Linares, 2005
The news for this event ... now has its very own web page! Check HERE to go there now.
GM Garry Kasparov RETIRES from professional chess???!?!?!?
March, 2005
No
... ... ... this is not a joke, nor a gag, prank, an April Fool's Day frolic ...
... nor anything else. This is deadly serious.
{And unless you have been in a coma
for a while, you probably have already heard about this story.}
Apparently Garry has decided that he will retire from professional chess.
Needless
to say, this is an extremely bad piece of news for any Kasparov fans - like me.
(This is a void ... that will not be filled until the next true chess genius
appears.)
Goodbye, Garry. WE ... all wish you well! God bless, and may you prosper ... no matter what field you enter or what professional arena you decide to throw your hat into. GL!!!
[ Read the entire ChessBase story. ] [ The LCC/TWIC story - and links. ] [reactions]
Saturday; March 12th, 2005. (Concerning the "Dos Hermanas" event.)
The Internet Chess Club is about to hold their annual {internet} tournament. After participating in this event for around five-to-seven years, I can tell you that I will NOT be taking part this year. Why? Its a joke, a total and complete farce! Last year they were tossing around 5-15 people EVERY ROUND, "on suspicion of using a computer program." Mig Greengard confirms that their own final was CANCELLED ... both of the participants were obviously cheating and using a computer program. ICC has no real interest in finding and stopping cheaters. In fact ... in my opinion ... their system blatantly encourages cheating. (Unlike other servers, ICC has no PROGRAM in place to automatically detect computer usage.) If you are an honest player - like me - and would never even dream of using a computer program, you have not a prayer in the world. The field will be overflowing with individuals who see nothing wrong with using a computer program - and ICC will never be able to stop, catch, or find all of them. I strongly urge honest, real chess players to avoid this event. (Even GM's should beware!)
As predicted there was lots of cheating that went on in this tournament. Several finalists were tossed. I happen to log on one day and "Desant" and "Smallville" had just completed their game. Both of the players, plus DOZENS of kibitzers ... were PUBLICLY tossing around accusations of cheating!! I asked one person - who has a Master's Degree in computer science, and used to work at another server catching cheats - what he thought of these games. He said that they all looked fishy to him. Apparently even really good players make errors a certain percentage of the time. (When they don't ... something is wrong.) He also said ... there was almost nothing in mathematics that would lead him to believe that a Master - who might be lucky to maintain a FIDE 2500 FIDE rating - would be able to play ... CONSISTENTLY ... at a 3000+ pace! (The winner's blitz rating is OVER 3300! Is he really that good? If so, why doesn't his over-the-board play confirm these kind of results???)
Something is clearly amiss here! The boys at ICC are falling down on the job!!
Monaco, 2005: "The 14th (annual) Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament," was dominated from the starting gun - to the finishing bell by India's powerhouse, GM Viswanathan Anand. Anand won BOTH the blindfold AND the rapid event, finishing a full two points ahead of GM Alexander Morozevich, (who was clear second).
It was a truly stunning performance, Anand's PR was very close to a 2900 result. This confirms what many have said ... without Kasparov, Anand is the superstar of chess. There is no doubt about the convincing nature of Anand's victory ... he also won this event in 2003. (Here he was truly in a class by himself.)
[ The official website ] [ The ChessBase story ] [ The LCC/TWIC story ]
April, 2005: GM Vishy Anand ("The People's Champion"), has done it again!
The
Indian super-star has won the 2004 Chess Oscar, his second in a row.
[ The CB Story
]
Dos Hermanas, (Spain/ESP) 2005: This tight event was won by young GM T. Radjabov.
[ The CB Story ] [ The LCC/TWIC Story ] [ The official tournament website ]
April 2005: The 7th Dubai Open, which ran from April 3rd to 13th, 2005; was won by a young, (Just 15 when the event started!!); and untitled Chinese player - Wang Hao. DOZENS of GM's (and IM's) were left gasping for air ... and buried in the dust! This is truly sensational news. Kasparov just retired ... are we seeing the emergence of the next young, super-talent of chess? Naturally, this young man bears close watching. (One IM wrote me to inform me that this result was "created" to a certain extent by the Chinese contingent at this tournament. They did not play to full strength against Hao, and some Chinese GM's gave him quick and easy draws.)
I am working on annotating a few games from this event, but when I complete this project ...
[ The CB Story ] [ The LCC/TWIC Story ] [ The official tournament website ]
Sunday;
May 22nd, 2005:
"The
M-tel
Masters"
tournament was won by the Bulgarian GM, Veselin Topalov.
This was a VERY high category tournament, just a hair shy of 21. (It is easily one of the strongest tournaments of the last 5-10 years.) The list of players was like a "roll-call" of the "Top Ten." (WC V. Kramnik, V. Topalov, V. Anand, M. Adams, J. Polgar, and R. Ponomariov.)
The tournament was an extremely tough affair, the lead changed hands on an almost daily basis. (The early leader was Adams, then Anand, then Ponomariov, and finally Topalov.) But it was V. Topalov who played his toughest chess the final week, scoring an incredible 3.5 out of his last four games!!! (If my calculations are correct, he picks up at least 35 points ... and should be only the second player - besides Kasparov - to top 2800!) Needless to say, this is an extremely good result! (For anyone!!)
This tournament also a double-round robin, and made history by forbidding draws by agreement!!! I think this tournament might signal a change in the public's attitude towards quick and easy draws by GM's ... in ANY tournament! This led to some very good chess, and in at least one round, ALL the results were decisive. Good show! The chess was fun to watch, and should be great to study. (More, more, more!!)
[ The official website. ] [ The final CB report. ] [ The LCC/TWIC report. ]
The Fortieth J.R. Capablanca Memorial Tournament
The 40th Capablanca Memorial took place 5th-20th May, 2005. GM Vassily Ivanchuk completely dominated this powerful event ... and even gained rating points ... on the way to an impressive 9.5 points {out of twelve} score.
[ The official website ] [ The TWIC report ]
XXXV International GM Super-Tournament "Bosna 2005"
The 35th version of the Bosnian super-master tournament was recently held. (May 18th through the 28th.) The perennial favorite, Alexei Shirov did not win. Instead, GM Victor Bologan and Ivan Sokolov finished tied for first with 6.5 points out of nine.
[ The official website ] [ more ] [ The TWIC report ]
|
Alexandra
Kosteniuk, Russian Champion |
|
"Game Over, Kasparov and the Machine"
The "About" server's chess commentator looks at this film - and its basic charges. (Jun. 13, 2005)
Did IBM cheat in their match with Garry Kasparov? I don't think there is any question that they did. (I have already had a chance to preview the film.) They had too much to gain, their stock gained enormously in a six-month period. They never allowed anyone to look at their program. They never allowed independent verification of the results. And then they dismantled the machine ... before anyone could take a really good look at it ... or {repeatedly} test it to ensure that the software could {again} find really good moves ... WITHOUT HUMAN INTERFERENCE. (GM Larry Evans has repeatedly said, "If you cannot see your opponent, you MUST assume the worst.") Call it paranoia, if you choose to do so. I choose to see it as inevitable, given massive corporate greed.
Feng-Hsiung Hsu wrote a book about the match, "Behind Deep Blue." It is mostly a lot of chest-thumping and ego-stroking by Hsu ... more fantasy than fact, really. If Hsu is really such a magnificent, wonderful computer {design} genius ... what has he done lately? Absolutely nothing!
The lamb ... slaughtered, Adams vs. Hydra; 2005
A "carbon-based unit" gets clobbered by a computer, is it over for human players?
GM Michael Adams, (who is currently in the "Top Ten" in the world); played a six-game match vs. a machine that was similar in computing power to IBM's "Deep Blue." In the end, Adams got wiped out, in retrospect, he was lucky not to lose every game. (He got one draw in game Two.)
Right now - everyone is crying about the fact that the human got hammered. Personally, I was pleased to see that Adams drew one game, in retrospect, this was a great result - at least for that one game, anyway! <sigh> :(
[Chessgames coverage] [The official site.] [The final CB report] [The final TWIC report] [Game no. Six, annotated by yours truly.]
**********************************************************************************************************
This is NOT the end of life as we know it ... chess will continue.
Many people thought that the public would lose interest in ... "The World's fastest human," when cars proved they could beat the average human ... in a race of almost any distance. However this did not happen!!
Humans created computers. Computers are nothing more than tools or virtual slaves. A PC is nothing more than an extremely smart and sophisticated tool, much like a fancy (kitchen) paring-knife. Its true place and purpose is to serve me. To do my work and my bidding whenever I demand it. To serve me whenever I require it. Its a philosophical point of view.
---> "The child cannot defeat its creator." QED
The Sixth (individual) European Chess Championships
GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu won the 6th EICC. (Ahead of names like T. Radjabov, who finished in clear second place. {silver} Third place consisted of a huge seven-way tie, with names like S. Karjakin, V. Ivanchuk, Beliavsky, etc. Karjakin grabbed the Bronze medal.)
<<
02.07.2005 You may be forgiven if you don't know the name – or maybe not. Nisipeanu was a surprise semi-finalist at the FIDE knock-out world championship in Las Vegas 1999, and he has a string of remarkable tournament wins since then. Because of his style he is known as a modern-day Tal. Liviu-Dieter won the European title.
>>
(From the CB web site.)
[The English version of the official web site.] [The TWIC report]
Dortmund, (Sparkassen Chess Meeting); 2005
July, 2005: Wow!! The lowest-rated player, an unheralded local boy ... just won one of the strongest tournaments of the year ... ahead of names like V. Topalov, P. Leko, V. Kramnik, and M. Adams.
Needless to say this is a really astonishing result. GM Arkadij Naiditsch is obviously a happy man. How did this happen? Where does Naiditsch come from? What was the chess like?
Apparently, the chess was intense ... and the young lad proved his mettle, despite fierce competition.
[The official website] [The final CB report] [The TWIC report]
Igualada, 2005
August, 2005: 21-year-old GM Luke McShane (ENG) has won the Igualada tournament. (DRR)
26.08.2005 In one of his best performances to date, McShane convincingly won the "Magistral Ciutat d'Igualada" tournament that was held in Barcelona, ESP; Aug. 16-21st. Luke was not shabby in this event. It was a Category 16 tournament, he completed this strong event at "plus two," undefeated and sported a 2753 PR!! The other participants were: Andrei Volokitin, Alexander Beliavsky, and Victor Kortschnoi.
[ The official website ] [ The CB story ] [ The TWIC report ]
The 2005 (French) National Championships
August, 2005: Joel Lautier ... all round nice guy ... has won the championship of France.
GM Lautier, intelligent, hard working and the President of the ACP, has won the Championship of his country. (I am pretty sure that this is not the first time he has done so, I am unsure of how many times he may have accomplished this feat in the past.) Readers are invited to send in information!
[ The official web site ] [ CB Story ] [ TWIC Report ]
2005 (FIDE) Chess World Championship, in San Luis, Argentina
September, 2005: The (FIDE) World Championship Tournament is actually underway!
For so long, I refused to believe it would ever happen ... recalling how many times FIDE {falsely} announced a WC event involving Kasparov - before his retirement.
Apparently
... it is a reality! The players are there, and play has already commenced!!
(One big drawback - that a player like Vassily
Ivanchuk
isn't there, he is like only the fifth-highest rated player in the world, # 4 - if you don't count Kasparov, who is retired.
[FIDE rating list]
Obviously this is just plain wrong ... the only question is, "How did this
happen?")
*************************************
The first round started with a bang, both Anand and Topalov won ... and with the Black pieces! (The other two games were drawn.) The CB report, and replay the games. (The TWIC report of the first round.)
***
Round two - featured four tough draws. [The CB report, or replay the games.]
***
Round
three - featured ... ALL DECISIVE GAMES!!! (Is this a record for a WC
event?)
The FIDE news report. [The CB report,
replay the games.]
[The TWIC news
story.]
***
Round # 4 / Round # 5 / Round # 6
The story through round six, has been Topalov's incredible play. He is on fire, CB describes him as "being on a rampage." <<With 5.5/6 points his tournament performance is now a staggering 3157.>> - The ChessBase website. I think - speaking for both myself, and everyone else as well, (and judging from the 20 or so e-mail that I get daily) - that people are losing interest in the games of the other competitors in this event. (Maybe - maybe not.) Certainly if Topalov continues as is, he is the run-away winner of this event. (10/05/05)
***
Round Seven: The story of the tournament thus far has been ALL V. Topalov! I followed the games on the Internet, the opening was a Ruy Lopez, Topalov played a slower form of this opening, probably to avoid the Marshall Attack. (8.h3, and 9.d3.) White seemed to have just a small edge out of the opening, all though I doubt it was anything to stand on a stump and holler about. (The titled players on ICC seemed to argue back and forth over who was really better.) Then Kasim played his thirty second move, (...Bg5); which was just awful. (He was worried about White playing g4-g5, but here the 'cure' was definitely worse than the ailment!) Topalov played a wonderful game from there winning a couple of Pawns. But it wasn't easy, at one point one of the commentators on ICC was predicting that Black could draw. Finally, after many moves, Topalov played 73.Kh5!, and Kasimdzhanov saw the handwriting on the wall ... and gave up the fight. Up to this point ... it has been more of an exhibition than a tournament, with Topalov slicing and dicing the opposition. (The TWIC report of round seven.)
Thus far, (half-way point); Topalov has an UNBELIEVABLE 6.5 out of seven, and is far ahead of his nearest competitor!!! Almost lost in the maelstrom is that Svidler is playing excellent chess, defeating Polgar for {clear} second place. Vishy Anand is not playing up to his usual form, many explanations have been offered as to why this might be so. Polgar and Adams are on the bottom of the cross-table, their chances at this point must be considered ... "slim-to-none." (Judit has played well, but lost a few key games ... and seems a little tired. Poor Adams openings look to be under-prepared, and he is definitely below his normal form here.) [Official website.]
***
Round Eight: Peter Leko appears to have no problem drawing the "tear-away" Topalov, A. Morozevich defeats the {current} FIDE champ, R. Kasimdzhanov, and he does it with the Black pieces. Vishy Anand defeats Judit Polgar, while M. Adams and P. Svidler fight hard for 40 moves, but are unable to avoid the draw. (replay)
Friday (October 7th) is a much needed rest day for all the competitors.
Rediff article on Anand's win. Statesman's article. New India Press, on-line article. TWIC report.
***
Round
Nine / Round
Ten
(I am not commenting much on these rounds, I have not been watching the games
much the last couple of days, and I don't have anything substantial to add to
the CB reports. Topalov did come very close to winning today, however ... So
much for those who said Topalov wasn't trying to win ... or that he was content
to make short, lifeless draws - and coast to the win.)
Round 11 (The ChessBase Report; 3 draws and Kasimdzhanov defeated Polgar.)
***
Round Twelve: Anand beat Leko with the Black pieces in the only decisive game of the round, while Topalov seemed to have no trouble drawing Svidler with the White pieces. Now many of the pundits are saying that Svidler or Anand could catch Topalov ... but I find this extremely unlikely. Topalov would have to LOSE both of his last two games, (to be passed); and he is playing Kasimdzhanov and Polgar, the last named (player) being tournament "cellar-dweller." (Meanwhile, Anand or Svidler would have to finish with 1.5 out of their last two games.)
Topalov has always been strong at the end of an event, I think it entirely possible that he might try to win both games, and I think it likely that he will win one and draw the other. (Then it would not matter what result Anand or Svidler had, Topalov would still win the tournament with ease.) But to be sure, an exciting finish is in store! (Oct. 12, 2005.)
Today is a free day, play resumes on Thursday, October 13th, 2005.
[ The CB report. ] [ The official website. (English) ] [ The FIDE R12 report. ] [ TWIC Report ]
***
Thursday; October 13th, 2005: With one round left to play, Topalov has a lock on first place. Veselin Topalov will be the new World Champion. Congratulations to GM V. Topalov!!! [The CB report.]
Prediction: Topalov will go all out to defeat GM Judit Polgar in the last round ... he is just that type of guy! (Finish strong.) Ooops! Topalov makes his shortest draw of the event. (Oct. 14th)
***
ROUND FOURTEEN / Friday; October 14th, 2005: Leko defeats Kasimdzhanov, perhaps to show who is the better player or maybe just to regain some lost rating points. All the other games are drawn, Topalov and Polgar obviously were not interested in a real fight today.
Topalov had a record-breaking first half, it is not surprising that he could not have continued the pace, although I was a little surprised that he did not win any games in the second half of the tournament. However, it was NOT for the lack of any real effort by Topalov, he had several long games, and in a couple of instances, he came close to losing. He also had a won game against Morozevich in the second half of the tournament, and only a big mistake prevented 'Vesco' from garnering the full point. (In the total number of moves and the amount of time spent at the chess board, 'Topy' would be close to first in both categories.)
Congratulations to GM Veselin Topalov, in my opinion, he is a worthy champion!
[The CB report.] [The TWIC report.] [The official website.] [The FIDE article.]
[ The prize-giving ceremony. ]
Magnus Carlsen wins the 2005 Arnold J. Eikrem Memorial Tournament
You could call it magnificent ... the truth is pretty darn close. A fourteen-year-old player recently scored a victory in c chess tournament in Gausdal, Norway. He finished a full point ahead of his nearest rival, and his performance rating was a whopping 2792!!! Superlatives and adjectives don't do this one full justice.
[The CB report.] [The TWIC report.] [The official website.]
The World Team Chess Championship(s)
November, 2005: The Russians caught the "Oriental Express," with a 3.5/4 win in the last round. The Russians managed to actually win the World Team Championship, although at one time many were saying that the Chinese team had a virtual lock on first place. (See the CB website for more details.)
[ The CB report ] [ The TWIC report ] [ The official website ]
The World Junior Championships (2005)
This is always a highly anticipated event, this year it was held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was the winner in the male section, and Elisabeth Pähtz was the winner of the ladies version of this event.
"GM S. is the new Junior World Champion. The 20-year-old from Azerbaijan clinched the title with a round to spare when he drew with Tomy Nyback to take a 1½ point lead in round 12. Shak's final performance rating was 2783." - From the CB website. Mamedyarov dominated his section, despite the presence of several 2600+ GM's, "Shak" was never in trouble, and walked away with the title. (He was rated nearly fifty points higher than any of the other competitors in this section.)
IM E. Pähtz had a more difficult row to hoe, she was not the clear leader early on. However, a flurry of wins (towards the end of this event) allowed her to capture the title, she was already the Ladies "Under-18" Champion two years ago. Congrats to both players!
I watched a few of the games on-line, plus a FIDE Master who was at this event, (as a trainer); e-mailed me reports nearly every round. (He wanted me to annotate a number of games for this event ... only time will tell if I can get to any of this. Many of the games were intensely fascinating, and surely more interesting than the boring twelve-move draws of some GM events I have witnessed as of late. (Some of these games may appear in the D/L for my GOTM website.)
[ The CB final report, with many details ... plus pictures. ] [ The TWIC report. ]
[ The official website. ]
Humans vs. The Machines ... in Bilbao, 2005.
Three top human players and former World Champions ... took on three of the world's better computers. What were the results? How did the humans fare? (Click here to learn more.)
November, 2005. A great master, IM Igor Ivanov passed away. [CB article] [TWIC report]
I personally knew this master. I would describe him as a caring and fun-loving individual, (but he harbored some great inner sadness); who was also possessed of an enormous chess talent. We played (at) literally dozens of events together, I lost to him quite a number of times. (I am unsure of exactly how many times we played.) One of my happiest chess memories was a tournament in Bermuda. Not only did I tie for second overall, but I defeated Igor in the blitz tournament, the game was eventually published in GM Walter Browne's "Blitz Chess" magazine. (now defunct)
Igor won the (USCF) Grand Prix no less than nine times, a record that may never be surpassed! I once attended an international tournament, (when I was in the military); and I asked a famous trainer, "Who was one of the most talented youngsters that you ever worked with?" (Thinking that he would say Karpov, since I knew he had worked with Anatoly when he was young.) His answer blew me away, without hesitating, he said: "Igor Ivanov." [At that time, I did not even know who Igor was!] He then went on to great lengths to describe a nearly perfect memory, a staggering ability to calculate, and also a player ... "who had a tremendous feel," for the game. (Almost certainly, he never reached his true potential, I will leave the "why" of this to someone else.)
The chess community is now a poorer place. I wish you peace, Igor. Goodbye, you shall not be forgotten.
Epilogue: Apparently, FIDE awarded Igor the GM title sometime in 2005. (Tardy!)
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Final Note: (Jan. 09, 2005) The USCF magazine, "Chess Life" carried a nice two-page article on Igor. (January, 2006; page # 9.) It covered his life and chess accomplishments, and also gave two of his games. [One is his very famous win (against Karpov) from 1979.] (See below.)
IM
(to be) Igor Ivanov (2415) - GM A. Karpov
(2705) [B43]
URS Spartakiad / Moscow, USSR; (R1) / 11.07.1979
1.e4 c5;
2.Nf3 e6; 3.d4 cxd4; 4.Nxd4 a6; 5.Nc3 b5; 6.Bd3 Bb7;
7.0-0 Ne7!?; 8.Kh1 Nbc6;
9.Nxc6 Nxc6; 10.Qg4! h5!?; 11.Qe2 Ne5; 12.f4 Ng4; 13.Rf3 Qh4;
14.h3 Bc5; 15.Bd2 g6!?;
16.Raf1 Qe7; 17.a3 f5; 18.Re1! Qf8; 19.b4 Bd4; 20.a4! Rc8;
21.Nd1 Qf6; 22.c3 Ba7;
23.axb5 axb5; 24.exf5!! gxf5; 25.Bxb5 Bxf3; 26.Qxf3 Rc7; 27.c4 Bd4;
28.Qd5! Kd8;
29.Qd6 Nf2+; 30.Nxf2 Bxf2; 31.Be3!! Bxe3; 32.Rxe3 Qe7; 33.Qd2! Ke8;
34.Qd4! Rg8;
35.Qb6! Qg7; 36.Qxe6+! Kd8; 37.Qd5 Ra7; 38.Rd3! Ra1+?; 39.Kh2 Ra2;
40.Bc6 ('!')
40...Ra7; 41.Qc5 Rc7; 42.Qb6! (Kc8;)
(and) Black Resigns, 1-0
Anyone who played Karpov in his prime will tell you that he was nearly impossible to defeat. The game is obviously a fantastic effort and a brilliancy of the first magnitude.
The FIDE 2005 World Cup
(This
event used to be called the "Knock-Out World
Championships.")
Nov, 2005: The FIDE WORLD CUP (tournament) has now begun. [The CB story.] [The TWIC Report.]
Dec. 02, 2005: The FIDE "World Cup" challenge (knock-out) tournament is down to 32 participants. The U.S. still has two players in the mix. See the CB report for more details.
Dec. 05, 2005: The field has now been parried down to a "sweet sixteen," all the Americans - save for Kamsky - have been cut from the field. ("Go, Gata, go!") Magnus Carlsen sent Cheparinov packing, otherwise ... most of the results have followed the ELO formula, with the higher-rated player coming out on top. [more] [The official site.]
Dec. 07, 2005: Round # 4, Game one - GM's Grischuk, Rublevsky, and Ponomariov win, while young Magnus Carlsen holds E. Bareev to a draw. [A full CB report, with games results and even pictures.] [The official site, {in English}.]
***************************************
Dec.
10th, 2005: The FIDE
"World Cup" challenge (knock-out)
tournament
is now down to
eight ...
yet all sixteen players remain, and no one goes home. Confused? So
am I!
From the group of the "sweet sixteen," only eight players continue to fight for the (top) prizes of the World Cup. Those eight GM's are: (in alphabetical order) L. Aronian, E. Bacrot, E. Bareev, B. Gelfand, A. Grischuk, M. Gurevich, R. Ponomariov, S. Rublevsky. However, the other players continue to battle it out ... apparently the remaining two places are critical for the next phase of the FIDE 2007 World Championship cycle. [more]
Apparently, the fifth round has already begun, Boris Gelfand defeated Alexander Grischuk. [The CB report.]
***************************************
December
12th, 2005: The FIDE World Cup is now down to "The Final
Four." (knitty-gritty)
[Apparently, the games in the first round of the semi-finals were
drawn. The battle(s) continue to determine the placement of those who were
already eliminated for any shot at the top prize.]
The semi-final participants are ... (ta-da, drum roll please) ... GM's: Alexander Grischuk, Ruslan Ponomariov, Etienne Bacrot, and the new kid on the block, Levon Aronian. Great games, and a good story. [The CB report.]
***************************************
December 16th, 2005 / The FIDE World Cup: Its now GM R. Ponomariov vs. GM L. Aronian in the finals of the World Cup competition. In the playoff's for the remaining CM qualifying spots, young (15) Magnus Carlsen continues to impress. The first game of the final was drawn, and America's Gata Kamsky is still in the mix. [The CB report.]
***************************************
December 17th, 2005: He has been slowly creeping up the rating list the last few years. In the last six months, he has virtually exploded and suddenly appeared in the "Top Ten" of the FIDE rating lists. Now at (only) age 23, he has won the World Cup, and is automatically seeded into the next FIDE World Championship Tournament.
Who
am I talking about? Of course it's none other than Levon
Aronian!
Congrats for an excellent performance!!
[The
final TWIC report.].]
[The FIDE ]
[Most
of the CB
reports.]
(You can also go to the CB
website. Type "World Cup" in the search box, and then click on the
search button!)
Must Watch TV!
(Tuesday, December 06th, 2005.)
A TV special ("Knights of the South Bronx") on the A&E Network this coming Tuesday night. Actor Ted Danson portrays a teacher who is imparting great 'life lessons' through the medium and game of chess. (Based on a true story.) It all begins December 06, (2005) Tuesday night, Eight PM Eastern Time. (8:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM Central / 06:00 PM Pacific) Want more? Here's the CB report.
You need to watch this, record it, and tell all your friends! {Pls. check your local programming guide.}
See also the advertisement on the inside (front) cover of the December (2005) issue of "Chess Life."
(I watched this special, and while some of it was not 100% realistic, I found it touching, moving and also ... very inspiring. I thought it was highly enjoyable and look forward to the possibility of purchasing this excellent work ... if it is offered on DVD. And the best part is that it based on a true story! I found the quotes - at the end of the special - from real "chess kids" ... to being a nice touch. **** Recommended!)
The 2005 Russian "Super-Finals"
December, 2005: The Russian "Super-Finals" have begun ... and they started with a real bang! [more]
(Svidler defeated Kramnik in the very first round.) Grischuk isn't playing, (a money dispute with the organizers); so who will win this very elite field? (What's your best guess?)
Since Svidler started off red-hot, I would have to go with the player who has won this event more than anyone else the last 10 (or so) years. But you can never tell, its still early. Leaders will probably fail, other players will certainly rally, ... but one thing is for sure ... chess fans the world over are in for a real treat! [The official website.] So stay tuned!
<< The Super-final of 58th men Championship of Russia takes place 18-30 December in Moscow in the Mikhail Botvinnik (room) of the Central Chess Club. In the robin-round tournament, 12 GM's are participating: Peter Svidler (2740), Vladimir Kramnik (2739), Alexander Morozevich (2707), Alexey Dreev (2694), Evgeny Bareev (2675), Vadim Zvjaginsev (2659), Alexander Khalifman (2653), Sergei Rublevsky (2652), Dmitry Yakovenko (2644), Alexander Motylev (2632), Sergey Volkov (2614), Evgeny Tomashevsky (2564). Not playing: Alexander Grischuk (refused to play) and Evgeny Najer; (was not able to compete, due to an illness).
Round 1:
[replay
the games] [The TWIC {preliminary} report.]
Svidler - Kramnik 1-0; Motylev - Dreev 1/2; Tomashevsky - Morozevich 1/2;
Rublevsky - Bareev 1-0; Yakovenko - Zvjaginsev 1/2; Khalifman - Volkov 1/2
>>
*******
The ChessBase Reports
[
Rnd. One ]
[ Rnd. 2 ]
[ Rnd. 3 ]
[ Rnd. 4 ]
[ Rnd. 5 ]
[ Rnd. 6 ]
[ Rnd. 7 ]
[ Rnd. 8]
[ Rnd. 9 ] [
Rnd. 10 ]
[ Rnd. 11 ]
*******
Round 6: I have not been following the games too closely, there have been on-line lessons, holiday stuff and Christmas shopping to do. But the chess games continue to be VERY interesting!!
In round six, ALL three of the decisive games were won by Black! Kramnik lost {again}; Dreev was probably winning at one point, but went horribly awry against Volkov; and Motylev forced Jakovenko to make a strong exchange sacrifice. Several of the other games were lively ... and could have gone either way ... but the rest were eventually drawn.
You can download the games, and read the full report on the CB website.
*******
Round 8: Sergei Rublevsky defeats the youngster (Jako.) to take a one point lead on the field with only three rounds left to play. [The CB report.] [The report from TWIC, # 581.]
*******
December 30th, 2005: GM Sergei Rublevsky grabs his first national title. (The 58th Russian Championships.) With a draw in the last round, the 32-year-old grandmaster did not lose a single contest and finished a point ahead of the field. D. Jakovenko and A. Morozevich finished with 6.5 from a possible 11 points to tie for second. After losing twice early, Kramnik, (the classical World Champion); managed to crawl back to fifty percent. GM Peter Svidler, who has won this event several times in the post-Soviet era scored "+1," ... and while this is a fair result, it is well below the standard he set in previous events. [The CB report.] [The TWIC report.]
Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I
Copyright
(©) A.J. Goldsby, 1995 - 2008.
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2009. All
rights reserved.
*******
This page was last updated on: Saturday, July 14, 2012 02:16 AM .
