ChessUpdated.com   Chess World in Synthesis

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

A big week in chess! Biel just ended in dramatic fashion. Carlsen stumbled when he pushed too hard against Dominguez and lost. When it looked like Dominguez was about to wrap up the tournament, he lost to Bacrot in the last round then Alekseev in the playoff.

Humpy Koneru started out with a stunning 0-2 at North Urals Cup while Stefanova was on fire. Humpy is back to even score and Stefanova just lost her first game. Anything can happen in the final round.

The Sochi Grand Prix is in the third round. When it looks like Kamsky is about to beat Cheparinov to lead with 2.5 points in 3 games, he blundered and is about to lose.

The Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls just finished yesterday with Courtney Jamison crowned Champion. Over 0,000 in scholarship and prizes were awarded in this event in addition to ,000 budgeted for housing, meals, and organizational cost.

It’s Saturday Open Forum. What would you like to discuss?

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Courtney Jamison, winner of the 2008 SP National Invitational for Girls!

Over 0,000 in scholarship and prizes were awarded in this event. In addition, an additional ,000 were budgeted for housing, meals, and organization. Special thanks to Texas Tech, the Susan Polgar Foundation, American Chess Equipment, ICC, Lubbock Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, US Chess Trust, and others for sponsoring this event.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

History

The Curaçao Chess Festival was initiated in 2001 by the Curaçao Chess Players’ Foundation in a new set up for the international chess tournaments that the CCPF had organized since 1993. International grandmasters and masters were invited to come to Curaçao to participate. The first Curaçao Chess Festival was held in the Van der Valk Plaza hotel, in the same hotel where the 1962 candidate tournament was held, which was then part of the Intercontinental hotel chain. Famous grandmasters, such as Bobby Fischer*, Tigran Petrosjan, Michael Tal, Paul Keres and Viktor Kortsnoj played in that memorable tournament for the right to play the world champ (at that time Michael Botvinnik).

Invitations were sent to a number of grandmasters to relive this experience in the same hotel and Caribbean environment. Sponsors were successfully approached to help finance this ambitious endeavor and the result was a splendid tournament with delighted players, sponsors and organizers. The next year, however, differences of view caused a rift in the organizational committee and another chess organization was founded with the same objectives for international chess tournaments. As a result Curaçao counted with two international chess tournaments in 2003 and 2004.

Chess grandmaster Alex Shabalov, who is now a fan of the tournament, observed that usually, conflicts lead to no tournaments at all being realized, but here, to the delight of the chess players, they get two tournaments. Fortunately for all, in 2006 the conflict had ebbed away and harmony was restored. As a result the full organizational resources of Curaçao again work together in sustaining the Curaçao Chess Festival.

The tournaments have attracted an appreciable number of international grandmasters, international masters and national chess champions from the region and internationally to Curaçao. The combination of high quality chess in a tourist resort, together with the Curaçao hospitality has appealed to all the players from within and outside the region. The players bring a world of experience of all nature with them that gives an extra dimension to the tournament.

Round 7 pairings:

1 BERNAL MORO, Luis Javier [5.5] : SWINKELS, Robin [4.5]
2 BENJAMIN, Joel [4.5] : WERLE, Jan [5]
3 CARLSSON, Pontus [4.5] : CHRISTIANSEN, Larry [4.5]
4 FRIDMAN, Daniel [4.5] : ROOSE, Alex [4]
5 ZATONSKIH, Anna [4] : BOHM, Hans [4]
etc.

Official website: http://curacaochess.net

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Koneru, H (2622) - Pogonina, N (2469) [A58]
5th North Urals Cup RUS (6), 02.08.2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bxa6 7.g3 d6 8.Bg2 Bg7 9.Nf3 0–0 10.0–0 Nbd7 11.Rb1 Nb6 12.b3 Ng4 13.Bb2 Bb7 14.e4 Ba6 15.Re1 Nd7 16.Na4 Bxb2 17.Nxb2 Qa5 18.Nd2 Nge5 19.Re3 Nf6 20.h3 Qb4 21.Qc2 Rfb8 22.Rbe1 Ned7 23.Nbc4 Bxc4 24.Nxc4 Ne5 25.a3 Qb5 26.a4 Qb4 27.Nxe5 dxe5 28.Rc1 Rc8 29.Bf1 Ne8 30.Qc3 f6 31.Bb5 Nd6 32.Bd7 Qxc3 33.Rcxc3 Rc7 34.Bc6 Ra5 35.f3 Rc8 36.Kf2 Rb8 37.Bb5 Nxb5 38.Rxc5 Kf7 39.Rxb5 Rbxb5 40.axb5 Rxb5 41.Ke2 Ke8 42.Kd2 Kd7 43.Kc3 Kd6 44.Re1 Rc5+ 45.Kb2 f5 46.Ra1 fxe4 47.fxe4 Rc8 48.Rf1 Rb8 49.Rc1 Rf8 50.b4 Kd7 51.b5 Rf2+ 52.Kb3 e6 53.dxe6+ Kxe6 54.b6 Kd7 55.Ka4 Ra2+ 56.Kb5 Ra3 57.Rc7+ Kd6 58.Rxh7 Rxg3 59.Rh6 Kd7 60.Kc5 Ke6 61.b7 Rc3+ 62.Kb6 Rb3+ 63.Kc7 Rc3+ 64.Kd8 Rb3 65.Rxg6+ Kf7 66.Rd6 Rxb7 67.Rd7+ Rxd7+ 68.Kxd7 Kf6 69.Kd6 1–0

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

After a horrendous start, GM Cramling is back at even score when she defeated leader GM Stefanova in a drawable Rook and Pawn endgame.

Cramling,P (2544) - Stefanova,A (2550) [D15]
5th North Urals Cup RUS (6), 02.08.2008

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.g3 dxc4 7.Bg2 c5 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Nc6 10.Ne3 Na5 11.Nd2 Bxc5 12.Nexc4 Nxc4 13.Nxc4 Bb4+ 14.Bd2 Bxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Ke7 16.Rhc1 Rb8 17.Nb6 Rd8+ 18.Ke1 Nd5 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Rc7+ Kf6 21.Nxc8 Rdxc8 22.Rac1 Re8 23.R1c3 Kg6 24.Rd7 Re4 25.a5 d4 26.Rb3 Re5 27.Rbxb7 Rxb7 28.Rxb7 Rxa5 29.Kd2 Ra1 30.Rb4 Rb1 31.Rb6+ Kf5 32.Rxa6 Rxb2+ 33.Kd3 Ke5 34.Ra5+ Ke6 35.h4 g6 36.Ra4 Ke5 37.Rxd4 Rb3+ 38.Kc4 Rb2 39.Rf4 Ke6 40.Kd3 h5 41.Ra4 Kf6 42.Ke3 Rc2 43.Kf3 Rb2 44.Re4 Rb3+ 45.Kf4 Rb2 46.f3 Rb1 47.Ra4 Rb5 48.Ra6+ Kg7 49.e4 Rb4 50.Ra3 Kf6 51.Ke3 Rb6 52.Kf4 Rb4 53.Ra5 Rc4 54.g4 hxg4 55.Kxg4 Rb4 56.h5 gxh5+ 57.Kxh5 Rb6 58.Kg4 Rc6 59.Rh5 Kg6 60.Rg5+ Kf6 61.Rg8 Rc4 62.Re8 Kg6 63.Rg8+ Kf6 64.Kf4 Ra4 65.Rb8 Ra6 66.Rd8 Kg6 67.Rg8+ Kf6 68.Kg4 Ra1 69.Rb8 Rg1+ 70.Kf4 Rf1 71.Rb6+ Kg7 72.e5 Ra1 73.Kf5 Ra5 74.Rb7 Ra6 75.f4 Rc6 76.Rd7 Ra6 77.Ke4 Ra4+ 78.Rd4 Ra1 79.f5 Re1+ 80.Kd5 Rf1 81.f6+ Kg6 82.Kd6 Ra1 83.Ke7 Ra7+ 84.Rd7 Ra5?? (84…Ra6 =) 85.e6 Re5 86.Rd6 Re1 87.Kf8 fxe6 88.f7 Rf1 89.Rxe6+ Kh7 90.Re2 Ra1 91.Rh2+ Kg6 92.Kg8 1–0

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

North Urals Cup Round 6 Results:

Xu Yuhua - Ushenina, Anna 0-1
Cramling, Pia - Stefanova, Antoaneta 1-0
Koneru, Humpy - Pogonina, Natalija 1-0
Muzychuk, Anna - Sebag, Marie ½-½

GM Xu Yuhua (2483) - IM Ushenina (2476) [B19]
02.08.2008 - North Urals Cup - Round 6

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.0–0–0 Be7 13.Kb1 0–0 14.Qe2 Qb6 15.c4 Rfd8 16.Rhe1 a5 17.Ne5 c5 18.Bc3 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Bc5 20.Nxd7 Nxd7 21.Qe3 Bxd4 22.Rxd4 Nf6 23.Red1 Rxd4 24.Rxd4 Rc8 25.a3 Qc6 26.Ne4 Nxh5 27.g4 Nf6 28.Nxf6+ gxf6 29.Qxh6 Qf3 30.Rf4 Qd3+ 31.Ka2 e5 32.Rxf6 Qxc4+ 33.Ka1 Qf1+ 34.Ka2 Rc1 35.Rg6+ fxg6 36.Qxg6+ Kf8 37.Qd6+ Ke8 38.Qb8+ Kd7 39.Qxb7+ Kd6 40.Qb6+ Kd5 41.Qb7+ Kd4 42.Qb6+ Ke4 43.Qe3+ Kd5 44.Qf3+ Kc5 45.Qe3+ Kc6 Black wins 0–1

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Jim West On Chess http://jimwestonchess.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
At Jim West Talks Chess, I have posted an entry on the pawn sacrifice 6…f4 from Saidy-Fischer, New York 1969.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Each year, players from the SPNI come up with their own unique theme. One year, they came with their tiaras. The next year they came with their boas then they painted their faces the year after. This year they create their own T-shirts with cool nicknames.
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Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

L to R: Stephanie Ballom, member of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders, Crystal Qian, Miss Congeniality of the 2008 SPNI, and Miss Lubbock USA Amanda Gass.

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Source: Susan Polgar Blog

Nadal wins 32nd straight match, sets up move atop world rankings
Associated Press

MASON, Ohio — For Rafael Nadal, moving up to No. 1 is just a matter of time.

The 22-year-old Spaniard made a change at the top inevitable Friday by advancing to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters. He beat Nicolas Lapentti 7-6 (3), 6-1 for his 32nd straight win, setting up a seismic shift in the world rankings.

After three years of chasing Roger Federer, he’s about to pass him.

Nadal would take over the top spot in next week’s rankings if he wins the tournament. Even if he fails, he now has piled up enough points in Cincinnati to overtake Federer when the rankings come out on Aug. 18. The rankings include points earned in the last 52 weeks, and time is on Nadal’s side.

Source: ESPN Sport

Source: Susan Polgar Blog