Friday, October 29, 2010

Breakfast entertainment at Cap d'Agde


Saturday morning (perhaps beginning at 7:30 a.m. Chicago time, but I'm not sure!), you can follow Nakamura's match with fellow super-GM Le Quang Liem at many websites, including the official site and The Week in Chess.   

Heavyweights Ivanchuk and Bu Xiangzh meet in the other semifinal.

Saturday, Nov. 6th: Evanston Tri-Level

Lazily cut-and-pasted for your viewing pleasure.... The entry fee is only $5!!
Levy Senior Center
300 Dodge Ave
Evanston, IL 60202
Evanston Chess Presents:
Tri-Level
4SS G/45
Three Sections
USCF Dual Rated

Nov 6, 2010
9:00am-5:00pm
Section Gold: 1700 and over
Section Silver: 1200 - 1699
Section Bronze: Under 1200 and Unrated

1600 - 1699 may play up to Gold.
1100 - 1199 may play up to Silver.
Published USCF Regular Rating determins eligibility.
Unrated players may be placed up at TD discretion.
From time to time Evanston Chess pays one or more titled players to play in our events. We usually do not pair them against each other. Even if they should lose (it does happen) we may pair them with the highest score groups.
Four rounds. Digital clocks are required and will be set to G/40 plus 5 seconds delay. Accelerated or decelerated pairings at TD discretion. Sections may be combined at TD discretion.
Registration from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Players must check in by 9:30 am; players who arrive late will receive a half-point bye for the first round. First Round 9:45 am, last round over roughly 5:00 pm.
You may take one half-point bye in any round but the last.
Entry fee is $5, please pay cash (no checks) at the door. Masters and Experts play free.
Send name, USCF number, and telephone number to enter@evanstonchess.org.
Junior players (under fourteen years) rated 900+ are welcome. Sorry, but we do not accept junior players rated under 900. Must be accompanied by a parent throughout the event.
Bring clocks. -- Wheelchair accessible. No Smoking.

Grandmasters Gurevich and Shulman....

...will be among the guests honoring Helen Warren at the ICA Banquet at Buca di Beppo in Lombard, Sunday, November 7, at 1 p.m.

Won't you please join us, too?

Permalinks for Chicago Blaze coverage

Trevor Magness and mom Cheryl

All on the ICA website!

Andi Rosen's article

Board 1: Gurevich—Bercys

Board 2: Sadorra—Amanov

Commentary on the "good stuff" (two Chicago wins) to follow shortly!  The raw game scores follow:

Board 3: Felecan—Hughes

Board 4: LopezMagness 

Tom Panelas exhibits his hometown bias here.

2011-12 World Championship cycle

The 2011 Candidates Matches are supposed to begin in March in Kazan, Russia.  This is FIDE; we'll see.

Gata Kamsky is the American representative in the field of eight. If Topalov withdraws (as seems likely), he'll be playing Alexander Grischuk.  Carlsen, Kramnik, and Aronian are the other top seeds.

Once again, Ivanchuk is passed over.

Carlsen clinches Pearl Spring with one round to go


Topalov-Carlsen, Nanjing 2010
(while you were sleeping last night!)
Black to play and win

Express report (and answer) at ChessBase.

(Edit Nov. 1: I had hyperlinked to the diagram of the position after Topalov's 32.Rc3??; you can go to ChessBase to see the diagram.  It's been replaced by the above photo: how many bottles of juice can Carlsen drink?)

Just a couple weeks ago, both Magnus Carlsen and Veselin Topalov were having crises of form, and Kramnik, Aronian, and current world champion Anand were making serious runs at the #1 rating spot.  (In fact, both Anand & Aronian have been briefly number one on the unofficial but highly respected live ratings list.)

Carlsen (+4 in Nanjing) is back in top form, but Topalov (-2) is obviously not.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Blaze coverage!

Andi Rosen reports on the ICA home page.

My report starts immediately below Andi's!

Hurrah Blaze!

Chicago 2½ - Dallas 1½!!!

Games and analysis will soon be on the ICA website.  Won't have it up for a few hours because of a glitch.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Memory jog

The final regular season match of the Chicago Blaze starts in a couple minutes.

See you online!

Congratulatons to NM Gopal Menon!

Gopal has been an unofficial master in the eyes of most Illinois players in the know for more than a year.  Now it's official! The South Suburban Chess Club of Greater Chicago's most recent Orland Park events put Gopal over the hump. 

Now Mr. Cool can take off the sunglasses indoors! (True confession: I once played a Master Challenge wearing a Panama hat.)

Hat tip to NM Len Weber.

"This is it, folks"

Shoplifted from Tom Panelas on the Blaze's website (follow this link for the rest of the post)

On Wednesday night the Blaze play the Dallas Destiny, who themselves have a chance to make the playoffs, but they must win the match to do so. Here’s what it comes down to. If they Blaze win, they’re in the playoffs. If they draw, they’re in the playoffs. If they lose they’re out.
Here are the lineups. We have the white pieces on Boards 1 and 3. 
Chicago Blaze
Dallas Destiny
Avg Rating: 2400
Avg Rating: 2388




Please join us Wednesday night at 7:00 PM at the North Shore Chess Center, 5500 West Touhy, Suite A, in Skokie. Or watch the games on the Internet Chess Club. It's now or never. Go Blaze!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Exchange Variation of the Slav: not so toothless?

On this windy morning, let's see how Adarsh Jayakumar blew me off the board on his way to his share of the U.S. Game/60 title.


After the game, Adarsh showed me some of his Exchange Slav prep: dangerous stuff!

Monday, October 25, 2010

"Juniors Excel in National Action Events"

Michael Auger repeats as U.S. Game/30 Champion
(photo: Betsy Dynako)

NM Matan Prilleltensky reports at Chess Life Online!

"Chess Fever"

Let's enjoy everyone's favorite Soviet silent comedy! Capablanca is our dashing leading man....

3rd Annual Mayor Daley's Chess Championship, 12/18/2010

At McCormick Place! Details here!

Romanticism in chess

There are objectively better openings than the Danish Gambit, but an opening has to fit your personality.  Michael Auger likes to go for the jugular. 

The Evans Gambit lives!

Michael Auger repeats as U.S. Game/30 Champion

Michael Auger played his usual entertaining chess to repeat as U.S. Game/30 Champion.  Michael won his first four games then held a draw against FM Albert Chow to clinch.  NMs Matan Prilleltensky and Aleksandar Stamnov tied for second with 4-1, Chow and Charles McMillan tied for fourth.

Jason Flanders and Gee Leong tied for first in the Reserve section with 4-1 scores.  Jason Daniels and Alexander Hu tied for first in the Booster, also with 4-1.

An impressive performance by Illinois juniors this weekend!

Crosstable here! 

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Three Illinois juniors win US Game/60 championship!

Congratulations to NM Adarsh Jayakumar, Tommy Ulrich, and Sam Schmakel!

The field included FMs Chow and Stamnov and NM Acosta. Here's the crosstable.