Archive for July 10th, 2008
Time: Chess Boxing Hits it Big no comments
Chess-Boxing Hits it Big
Thursday, Jul. 10, 2008 By ADA CALHOUN
TIME Magazine
“It sounds like a gimmick,” admits Hip-Hop Chess Federation founder Adisa Banjoko. But chess and physical combat are being merged not only in the U.S.—where Banjoko’s group advocates combining chess and martial arts as a way to teach kids the importance of strategy and non-violence—but in Europe, where a bloodier version is flourishing. The slogan for the Berlin-based World Chess Boxing Organization: “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board.”
The chess-boxing combo traces its roots back to a 1992 comic book, titled The Nikopol Trilogy, in which the men of the future box on a chessboard floor. The image inspired Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh to hold—and compete in—the first official chess-boxing bout in Amsterdam in 2003.
Since then, chess-boxing has attracted more than 150 professional competitors, the attention of ESPN Sports Center, even praise from Lennox Lewis. The World Chess Boxing Organization, which now has official training clubs in Berlin, London and Sofia, Bulgaria, calls itself an intellectual fight club. Spokesman Andreas Dilschneider, who is also one of the chess trainers for Berlin’s chess-boxing club, says the dual sport is primed to become “the biathlon of the 21st century.”
The matches work like this: competitors alternate between three-minute rounds of boxing and four-minute rounds of speed chess with one-minute breaks in between to get the gloves off and hunker down at the chess table. The winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or referee decision.
The 2008 World Champion Chessboxer, Russian math student Nikolaj Sazhin, 19, won the light heavyweight division in Berlin on July 5 in front of a thousand fans, after seizing his punch-drunk opponent’s queen in the fifth round of chess.
Here is the full article.
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
2008 Women’s World Championship no comments
Photo from FIDE website
WORLD WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2008
FIDE has just released the pairings for round 1 of the Women’s World Championship Knockout in Nalchik, Russia.
The FIDE Presidential Board has approved the list of qualifiers and the schedule of the World Women’s Championship 2008, to be held in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian Federation), from 28 August to 18 September with a prize fund of 450,000 USD.
1 1-64 Xu, Yuhua (CHN) - Solomons, Anzel (RSA)
2 2-63 Koneru, Humpy (IND) - Alaa El Din, Yorsa (EGY)
3 3-62 Hou, Yifan (CHN) - Khaled, Mona (EGY)
4 4-61 Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) - Zapata, Karen (PER)
5 5-60 Cramling, Pia (SWE) - Sanchez Castillo, Sarai (VEN)
6 6-59 Sebag, Marie (FRA) - Gasik, Anna (POL)
7 7-58 Zhao, Xue (CHN) - Zuriel, Marisa (ARG)
8 8-57 Kosintseva, Tatjana (RUS) - Muminova, Nafisa (UZB)
9 9-56 Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS) - Pourkashiyan, Atousa (IRI)
10 10-55 Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU) - Golubenko, Valentina (CRO)
11 11-54 Muzychuk, Anna (SLO) - Velcheva, Maria (BUL)
12 12-53 Ruan, Lufei (CHN) - Zakurdjaeva, Irina (RUS)
13 13-52 Zhukova, Natalia (UKR) - Rohonyan, Katherine (USA)
14 14-51 Chiburdanidze, Maya (GEO) - Nguyen, Thi Thanh An (VIE)
15 15-50 - Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN) - Arribas Robaina, Maritza (CUB)
16 16-49 Paehtz, Elisabeth (GER) - Kadimova, Ilaha (AZE)
17 17-48 Ushenina, Anna (UKR) - Le Thanh Tu (VIE)
18 18-47 Socko, Monika (POL) - Foisor, Sabina-Francesca (ROM)
19 19-46 Krush, Irina (USA) - Sedina, Elena (ITA)
20 20-45 Gaponenko, Inna (UKR) - Zhang Jilin (CHN)
21 21-44 Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) - Amura, Claudia (ARG)
22 22-43 Harika, Dronavalli (IND) - Nebolsina, Vera (RUS)
23 23-42 Kosintseva, Nadezhda (RUS) - Mohota, Nisha (IND)
24 24-41 Korbut, Ekaterina (RUS) - Gvetadze, Sopio (GEO)
25 25-40 Zatonskih, Anna (USA) - Bosboom Lanchava, Tea (NED)
26 26-39 Shen, Yang (CHN) - Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino (GER)
27 27-38 Mkrtchian, Lilit (ARM) - Moser, Eva (AUT)
28 28-37 Tania, Sachdev (IND) - Tan Zongyi (CHN)
29 29-36 Bojkovic, Natasa (SRB) - Ju, Wenjun (CHN)
30 30-35 Rajlich, Iweta (POL) - Mongontuul, Bathuyang (MGL)
31 31-34 Lomineishvili, Maia (GEO) - Khukhashvili, Sopiko (GEO)
32 32-33 Khurtsidze, Nino (GEO) - Matveeva, Svetlana (RUS)
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
11 year old wins Canadian Championship? no comments
Tanraj Singh Sohal is Canadian Chess Champion
WSN Bureau
9 July, 2008
11 year old Tanraj Singh from Surrey has won the 2008 Canadian Chess Championship (for his age group) held in Edmonton, Alberta and it is the fourth time that he has won the trophy.
Tanraj Singh’s father, Dr. Paramjit Singh, himself a chess fan, introduced his son to the 64 squares at a tender age and the kid demonstrated exceptional talent in the school chess club.
Young Tanraj has earlier won the 2008 Fraser Valley Regional championship in Surrey and BC Provincial Chess Championship held in Burnaby.
Source: WSN
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
Charles Hertan to speak at the BCC on Forcing Moves no comments
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BCC-Weblog
Cover photo: Tony Cortizas
FM Charles Hertan, a fixture on the local scene for many years who now lives in Western Mass, will return to Boston
Photo: Steve Stepak
to talk about themes from his new (New in Chess) book:
He will speak at
7 pm on Tuesday, July 22
at the club. Boylston members will have free admission. The chess public is invited, with a nominal fee to help support the club.
You may purchase an autographed copy of the book from the author, (though you won’t be forced to.)
..
Why is it that your brain so often refuses to consider winning chess tactics?
Every chess fan marvels at the wonderful combinations with which famous masters win games. How do they find those fantastic moves? Do they have a special vision? And why do computers outwit us tactically?
This rich book on chess tactics proposes a revolutionary method for finding winning moves. Charles Hertan has made an astonishing discovery: the failure to consider key moves is often due to human bias. Your brain tends to disregard many winning moves because they are counter-intuitive or look unnatural.
We can no longer deny it, computers outdo us humans when it comes to tactical vision and brute force calculation. So why not learn from them? Charles Hertan’s radically different approach is: use COMPUTER EYES and always look for the most forcing move first!
By studying forcing sequences according to Hertan’s method you will:
– develop analytical precision
– improve your tactical vision
– overcome human bias and staleness
– enjoy the calculation of difficult positions.
In short: by recognizing moves that matter, you will win more games!
Charles Hertan is a FIDE master from Massachusetts with several decades of experience as a chess coach. Instead of rehashing the usual classic examples he has unearthed hundreds of instructive combinations which appear here for the first time in print.
Joel Benjamin, from the Introduction:
“By organizing and explaining the nature of great chess moves Hertan has brought us all closer to being able to find them.”
Danny King, The Guardian:
“Hertan encourages us to think with ‘computer eyes’, by first examining all the forcing moves (checks, captures, threats), no matter how daft they seem. Why? Not because forcing moves are always the best, but when they do work, they tend to work better and quicker than non-forcing options.”
Marsh Towers Chess Reviews:
“Hertan develops the reader’s skills methodically, thus enabling each tactical lesson to be learned and absorbed properly.”
Erik Bouwmans, Schaaknieuws:
“Entertaining and instructive (..) you simply cannot stop looking.”
Dr Erik Rausch, Rochade Europa:
“An intensive training course for advanced players to improve their tactical vision and calculation (..) You will increase your tactical striking powers a lot.”
Chess Horizons:
“This book deserves the highest of recommendations.”
British Chess Magazine:
“This weighty tome is all about improving your tactical play.”
Cor Jansen, Provinciaalse Zeeuwse Courant:
“Thrilling, instructive and witty. Right on target.”
Steve Goldberg, ChessCafe:
“When the clock is ticking away, and you have too many viable candidate moves to choose from, remember Hertan’s advice.”
Francesco Benetti, Torre & Cavallo:
“Complete and entertaining.”
Carl Portman, FOCUS Magazine:
“A super book.”
Harold Dondis, The Boston Globe:
“The categories in this book are quite unusual.”
Mark Weeks, About.com:
“Develops creative, little explored ideas about how to improve your tactical vision (..) with outstanding positions from master practice.”
IM John Donaldson, Jeremy Silman.com:
“A superior combination book.”
Stephen Dann, Worcester Telegram & Gazette:
“The price is low for a volume with so many pages and so much content.”
What would you like to see? no comments
The upcoming SPICE Cup will take place from September 19-28 at Texas Tech University (Student Union Building) in Lubbock, Texas.
There will be a day off in the middle of the tournament. What kind of extra fun event would you like to see on this day off?
- Blitz tournament
- Fischer random blitz tournament
- Pro-Am chess tournament
- Another activity
In addition to having the games broadcast LIVE on MonRoi, ICC and other sources, we will also try to show LIVE video feeds and taped video interviews.
Here are the players:
USA - GM Onischuk, Alexander 2734 USCF / 2670 FIDE
IND - GM Pentala, Harikrishna 2724 USCF 2668 FIDE
GER - GM Kritz, Leonid 2667 USCF / 2610 FIDE
USA - GM Akobian, Varuzhan 2660 USCF / 2610 FIDE
USA - GM Kaidanov, Gregory 2664 USCF / 2605 FIDE
USA - GM Becerra, Julio 2640 USCF / 2598 FIDE
ISR - GM Mikhalevski, Victor 2679 USCF / 2592 FIDE
POL - GM Miton, Kamil 2703 USCF / 2580 FIDE
ISL - GM Stefansson, Hannes 2597 USCF / 2566 FIDE
USA - GM Perelshteyn, Eugene 2619 USCF / 2555 FIDE (Defending Champion)
Average FIDE: 2605 (Category 15)
Average USCF: 2669
This will make the 2008 SPICE Cup the highest rated 10 person International RR event in U.S. history.
The SPICE Cup Invitational will be the main attraction of the annual SPICE Cup Festival. Other activities will include the 2008 Texas Women’s Open Championship, SPICE Cup Grand Prix, SPICE Cup Scholastic, SPICE Cup Pro-Am event, etc. Our goal is to add a group B next year and even more activities.
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
A very tricky one no comments
White to move. How should White proceed?
Kubbel, 1944, presented by Andreas
8/6pp/6P1/p5P1/k1p5/5p2/1PK1P3/5B1b w - - 0 1
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
Ehlvest and Erenburg Lead Futurity no comments
Source: United States Chess Federation http://main.uschess.org/index2.php?option=com_rss&feed=RSS2.0&no_html=1
GMs Jaan Ehlvest and Sergey Erenburg lead the New Jersey Futurity (Branchburg, NJ, July 7-11) with 4/5. Mackenzie Molner needs 2/4 for his second IM norm.
US Women’s Champion in Spain no comments
GM Daniel Friedman top seeded at Vicente Sebastian Chess Memorial
IM Anna Zatonskih will participate before the WCC for women in Nalchik
by chessdom
GM Daniel Fridman will be top seeded at Vicente Sebastian Chess Memorial that will take place 19-20 July in Menorca, Spain. The German champion will have to play for the first place among strong competition GM Neuris Delgado Ramirez, GM Radek Kalod, GM Stefan Djuric, GM Ramon Mateo, etc.
IM Anna Zatonskih will be the top women chess player at the competition. This will probably be the last event for IM Zatonskih before the start of the World Women’s Chess Championship in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. As we informed you yesterday, IM Zatonskih starts against Tea Bosboom Lanchava.
The total prize fund of the competition is 3000+ eur. The time control is 25 min per game and the tournament is 9 round Swiss.
http://previews.chessdom.com/daniel-fridman-vicente-sebastian
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
2008 Karpov Poikovsky Cup no comments
2008 Karpov Poikovsky round 3 matchups and results:
Wang Hao - Volokitin, Andrei ½-½
Sutovsky, Emil - Gashimov, Vugar ½-½
Inarkiev, Ernesto - Onischuk, Alexander ½-½
Jakovenko, Dmitry - Rublevsky, Sergei ½-½
Bologan, Viktor - Shirov, Alexei ½-½
Click here to view the games LIVE.
Source: Susan Polgar Blog
2008 New England Masters no comments
The deadline to pay the lowest possible entry fee for the New England Masters is Friday, July 11!
The New England Masters will take place from August 11-15, 2008, in Pawtucket (near Providence), Rhode Island. The event is a 9 round FIDE rated Swiss with good GM & IM norm opportunities.
There are currently 33 players registered for the event meaning there are just 17 places available. Registration is limited to players FIDE rated 2100 or higher.
Thankfully this year’s efforts to attract more non-USA players to the event has been successful and there are currently 16 foreign players, including all 4 of the Grandmasters.
Top seed at the event will be GM Leonid Kritz from Germany (rated FIDE 2610), winner of the two previous Masters events, who will also be playing in the upcoming 2008 SPICE Cup.
The complete line-up can be viewed at http://www.newenglandmasters.com/participants.htm. For those unable to participate in the week long Masters event, theBlackstone Open will take place the weekend after on August 16-17, 2008. The Blackstone Open will have two sections, an Open and an Under 1900, meaning everyone can be involved in the Blackstone Chess Festival in one way or another.
For further information regarding both events please visit the tournament website at http://www.newenglandmasters.com.
Chris Bird
Source: Susan Polgar Blog