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Source: Susan Polgar Blog

St. Louis Chess Center

The new ,000,000 St. Louis Chess Club held a “pre-opening” gala event for the media and local chess afficionados Wednesday evening; the official opening is Thursday, July 17.

Report and pictures by Steve Goldberg here and here.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Standings after 2 rounds:

1. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2708 1½ 2926
2. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2775 1½ 2831
3. Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2708 1 2619
4. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2670 1 2699
5. Bacrot, Etienne g FRA 2691 ½ 2496
6. Pelletier, Yannick g SUI 2569 ½ 2548

Official website: http://www.bielchessfestival.ch/

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Some general information:

The usual temperature in Lubbock is around mid to high 60’s in the evening and high 80’s to mid 90’s in the afternoon. The humidity level is quite low because Lubbock is approximately 3,200 feet above sea level. Therefore, it is quite dry compare to other parts of Texas south of Lubbock.

The Frazier Alumni Pavilion and Gordon Hall are both comfortably air conditioned. Wireless Internet access is available in common area at Gordon Hall. Dining will be at “The Fresh Plate” in Gordon Hall.The walking distance between Gordon Hall and Frazier Alumni Pavilion is about 2-3 minutes. The time control for the SPNI is 90 moves for the entire game for each player with 30 second increments added on per move. This is equivalent to G/120 and it is the official FIDE time control. In addition, the SPNI will be FIDE rated. This will give many players the opportunity to earn valuable FIDE ratings.

Please bring your own clock if you own one. We do have a limited amount of clocks available if you do not own one. Chess sets and boards will be furnished. However, please bring your own equipment if you would like to have casual games or after hour games with other players in Gordon Hall.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me or Mr. Dewain Barber, Chair of the Polgar Committee.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you in less than a week. It will be a fantastic and memorable event!

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

New sport combines boxing and chess
11:41 AM CDT on Monday, July 21, 2008
The Associated Press

BERLIN — Nikolay Sazhin almost knocked out his opponent with a blow to the chin in the second round. But he had to take the queen to win the match.

In front of 1,000 cheering fans one recent Saturday night, Sazhin moved his bishop to go in for the kill and won the world championship of chess boxing, a weird hybrid sport that combines as many as five rounds of pugilism with a game of chess.

The combatants switch back and forth between boxing and chess — repeatedly putting their gloves on and taking them off, so that they can move the pieces around the board without clumsily knocking them over — in a sort of brains-and-brawn biathlon.

“It’s the No. 1 thinking game and the No. 1 fighting game,” said Iepe Rubingh, the sport’s 32-year-old founder.

Rubingh’s inspiration was “Cold Equator,” a 1992 French comic book in which two heavyweight boxers beat each other’s brains out for 12 rounds and then play a 45-hour game of chess.

“That’s not functional. So I thought about how it could work,” Rubingh said.

In his version, a chessboard is brought into the ring on a table and the combatants play four minutes, after which the board is wheeled off very carefully so that the pieces don’t fall over. Then the fighters put on the gloves and trade punches for a round, after which the board is brought back. The pattern is repeated over and over. The chess game can last up to 24 minutes.

If you knock your opponent out, the chess is over, too, and you win the match. If you beat your opponent at chess, then the boxing is over, and you are the victor. In the case of a draw at the chessboard, the boxer with more points in the ring is declared the winner.

Rubingh uses an electronic chessboard that lets spectators watch the action projected onto a pair of large ringside screens.

In 2003, some 800 people turned out in Amsterdam to watch an exhibition match between Rubingh and a friend. “It was a catastrophe. I lost my queen in the second round of chess,” he said.

But the loss didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream.

The Dutchman returned to Berlin — where he has lived for a decade — and set out to find tough fighters who could also play a good game of chess.

Germany has emerged as a major boxing center, attracting top talent from Eastern Europe. Most of the world’s top heavyweight fighters are natives of Russia and Ukraine, and many train in Hamburg.

Rubingh knows he won’t be recruiting either boxers or chess players at the top of their game, but he believes there is a deep reservoir of talent among amateur and lower-ranked pro fighters with sharp, tactical minds.

One of his first prospects was Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old Berlin riot policeman and amateur kickboxer. Stoldt was also an obsessive chess player who often lost himself in late-night online matches.

Here is the full article.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: United States Chess Federation http://main.uschess.org/index2.php?option=com_rss&feed=RSS2.0&no_html=1
Jerry Hanken blogs from the Pacific Coast Open (July 17-20, Agoura Hills), which saw a four-way tie for first between Melikset Khachiyan, Enrico Sevillano, Robert Ashasaryan and Sam Shankland.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

GM Alekseev (2708) - GM Carlsen (2775) [E15]
21.07.2008 / Biel - Round 2

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qa4 Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.dxc5 bxc5 8.0–0 Be7 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Rd1 Qb6 11.Bf4 Rd8 12.Rd2 d6 13.Rad1 a6 14.Qc2 Qc7 15.e4 Nh5 16.Be3 Nc6 17.h3 h6 18.Nh2 Rac8 19.Nf1 Nf6 20.f4 d5 21.cxd5 Nd4 22.Qb1 exd5 23.e5 Ne4 24.Nxe4 dxe4 25.Kf2 Nf3 26.Rxd8+ Rxd8 27.Rxd8+ Qxd8 28.Qc1 g5 29.Bxf3 exf3 30.fxg5 hxg5 31.Qd2 Qb6 32.Nh2 Qg6 33.Ng4 c4 34.Nf6+ Kg7 35.g4 Qd3 36.Ne8+ Kg6 37.Nd6 Ba8 38.b3 Qxd2+ 39.Bxd2 cxb3 40.axb3 f6 41.Bc3 fxe5 42.Bxe5 a5 43.Nf5 Bd8 44.Bc3 Bb7 45.Nd4 Bf6 46.Ke3 Be5 47.Be1 Bxd4+ Game drawn ½–½

Click here to replay the game.

GM Bacrot (2691) - GM Onischuk (2670) [C92]
21.07.2008 / Biel - Round 2

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Nd7 10.d4 Bf6 11.a4 Bb7 12.Na3 Nb6 13.d5 Na5 14.axb5 axb5 15.Be3 Qd7 16.Bxb6 cxb6 17.Ba2 Rfc8 18.Qd3 Ba6 19.Qe3 Qc7 20.Nc2 Nc4 21.Qc1 Bb7 22.Nb4 g6 23.Bb3 Rxa1 24.Qxa1 Bg7 25.Qc1 Rf8 26.Bc2 Bc8 27.Bd3 Bd7 28.Qc2 Bh6 29.Ra1 Na5 30.Re1 Nc4 31.Qe2 Ra8 32.Rd1 Qc8 33.Ne1 Bg5 34.Rb1 Nd2 35.Rd1 Game drawn ½–½

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

I just received the following info from IM John Donaldson:

Heads of Delegation

David Pruess
Jennifer Shahade

Men’s Individual Blitz

Alex Shabalov
Varuzhan Akobian
Jesse Kraai
Josh Friedel
Dmitry Schneider

Men’s Individual Rapid

Alex Shabalov
Varuzhan Akobian
Jesse Kraai
Josh Friedel
Dmitry Schneider

Men’s Rapid Team

Alex Shabalov
Eugene Perelshteyn
Josh Friedel
Jesse Kraai
Dmitry Schneider

Mixed Pair

David Pruess
Irina Krush

Women’s Individual Blitz

Irina Krush
Jennifer Shahade
Iryna Zenyuk
Abby Marshall
Chouchan Airapetian

Women’s Individual Rapid

Jennifer Shahade
Iryna Zenyuk
Abby Marshall
Chouchan Airapetian
Shirley Ben-Adak

Women’s Blitz Team
Iryna Zenyuk
Abby Marshall
Cindy Tsai
Chouchan Airapetian
Shirley Ben-Adak

Women’s Blitz Rapid

Iryna Zenyuk
Abby Marshall
Cindy Tsai
Chouchan Airapetian
Shirley Ben-Adak

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Entries for 1st World Mind Sports Games

Monday, 21 July 2008

63 federations have entered the Men’s Team Rapid and Blitz competitions with China, Germany, India, Cuba and Hungary leading the seedings. The Women’s Team event has 52 teams led by China, Russia, India, Ukraine and Poland.

In the Pairs competition, there are 45 teams with Bulgaria, China, Russia, Germany and India entering the highest rated combinations.

There will be 60 players in both the Men’s and Women’s Individual events for Rapid and Blitz. The total number of participating federations in the Games is 77.

The 1st World Mind Sports Games are being held in Beijing from October 3rd to October 18th. Bridge, Go, Draughts and Chinese Chess will also be present at this historic event.

Source: FIDE.com

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: United States Chess Federation http://main.uschess.org/index2.php?option=com_rss&feed=RSS2.0&no_html=1
In St.Louis, Missouri a spectacular new chess club has opened. Check out Steve Goldberg’s report, including a photo gallery that might make you wish you lived in St.Louis.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

USCF Announces 2008 Olympiad Teams

By Jerry Nash
July 17, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jerry Nash
jnash@uschess.org

(Crossville, July 18, 2008) The United States Chess Federation (USCF) announced the teams and captains for the 38th Chess Olympiad scheduled for November 12 – 25, 2008, in Dresden, Germany.

The Chess Olympiads, begun in 1924, are the most prestigious of the world team tournaments organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

Teams from more than 100 nations participate in this event scheduled every two years. In the previous two Olympiads, US teams achieved success in bringing home medals. In 2004, the US Women’s team won the Silver in Calvia, Spain, and in 2006, the US Men’s team captured the Bronze in Turin, Italy.

The 38th Chess Olympiad United States Teams

Men’s Team: Varuzhan Akobian, Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexander Onischuk, Yury Shulman, Captain - John Donaldson.

Women’s Team: Tatev Abrahamyan, Rusudan Goletiani, Irina Krush, Katerina Rohonyan, Anna Zatonskih, Captain - Michael Khodarkovsky and Coach - Gregory Kaidanov.

The players were selected by a formula which takes into account several factors including USCF and FIDE ratings. Yury Shulman and Anna Zatonskih also qualified by winning the 2008 US Men’s and Women’s Chess Championships.

The captains and coaches were selected by a vote of the players of each team. Significant modifications in the tournament format will impact the play at the 2008 Olympiad. The event has been reduced from 14 rounds to 11 rounds and scoring has been changed from game to match points.

Another change is the composition of the teams themselves. The men’s teams have been reduced by one alternate player to the current Four Boards plus One Board alternate player. The women’s teams have been increased by one player to an identical 4+1 composition.

Official Olympiad Website: www.dresden2008.com

Source: Susan Polgar Blog