Webster University Chess Team Members ‘Going Places’ This Summer!

June 5, 2013, 11:29 am

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ON THE ROAD: Webster University Chess Team Members ‘Going Places’ This Summer!

Summer 2013 means a lot of globe-trotting for members of Webster University’s national champion chess team.

ST. LOUIS, June 5, 2013 - Rising sophomore and chess grandmaster Ray Robson has been selected by the U.S. Chess Federation to represent the United States at the Chess World Cup in Tromso, Norway, in August. Prior to that, in mid-July, Robson will participate in a goodwill chess match against China in Ningbo, a city in China’s Zhejiang province.

Robson, 18, is the No. 1 junior and No. 5 overall chess player in the U.S. Robson also holds the distinction of being the youngest American chess player ever to earn the grandmaster ranking, at age 14. A “junior” in the chess world is someone who is age 20 or younger.

In May, Robson won the Chicago Open, a prestigious chess event in which 22 grandmasters competed.

Joining Robson at the Chess World Cup in Norway will be his Webster University roommate and chess teammate Wesley So, a grandmaster who will represent his home country of the Philippines. So, who will be a sophomore at Webster this fall, is the No. 1 chess player in the Philippines and the No. 2 junior in the world. Incoming Webster freshman, grandmaster Le Quang Liem, will represent his home country of Vietnam at the Chess World Cup. He is the top-ranked chess player in Vietnam and the former No. 1 junior in the world.

“No university has ever had three of its chess players selected to compete in the World Cup in the same year,” said Webster University chess team coach Susan Polgar. “This is quite an unprecedented honor, and one that underscores the excellence of our chess team members.”

Next stop is Las Vegas, where Robson, So, and their Webster chess teammates and grandmasters Fidel Corrales Jiminez (the reigning Philadelphia Open Champion) and Manuel Leon Hoyos (the reigning U.S. Open Champion) will compete in the 2013 National Open.

In April, Webster’s chess team captured the President’s Cup, also known as the Final Four of Collegiate Chess, in an intense two-day tournament in Rockville, Md. Webster made history with multiple “firsts” with the victory:

* Webster became the first St. Louis team ever to win a Final Four collegiate chess championship.
* It was the first time in history a team made it to the Final Four of Collegiate Chess in its first year at a school.
* It’s also the first time that a first-year team has been ranked as the No. 1 seed in the Final Four.

http://www.webster.edu

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GM Pantsulaia Levan leads in Mumbai after 9 rounds

June 5, 2013, 1:09 pm

≫ Next: 62 players, 18 countries, 2 world titles on the line

≪ Previous: Webster University Chess Team Members ‘Going Places’ This Summer!

GM Pantsulaia Levan (ELO 2563) of Georgia leads the tournament with 7.5 points after ninth round of the Rs 21.5 lakh prize money 6th Mumbai Mayor International Chess Tournament 2013 hosted by The National Sports Club of India and Co- Sponsored by LIC of India, being played in the indoor stadium of National Sports Club of India.

International Master Ravichandran Siddharth of Tamil Nadu (ELO 2361) continued his good form by holding the top seed GM Mchedlishvili Mikheil (ELO 2645) of Georgia for a draw.

Playing on the first board Ravichandran faced a Sicilian defense, for which he opted for closed variation. Pieces were traded at regular intervals and the game ended in tame draw after 37 moves.

The game between the leader GM Pantsulaia Levan and GM Zubarev Alexander (ELO 2559) of Ukraine started with Reti opening which later converted into English opening. With regular exchange of the pieces Levan had a slight advantage with his Bishop against the Knight.

On 47th move Zubarev made a passive move of his knight which allowed Levan king to gain entry on the king side winning 2 pawns thus creating a passer. Realizing the difficulty in stopping the pawn Zubarev accepted his defeat in 58 moves.

Sameer Kathmale who could have made his IM norm today might have earned his maiden Grandmaster norm if he would have won the game but missed his chances as his opponent GM Andriasian Zaven (ELO 2608) of Armenia defeated him in the hard fought game of Frech Defense.

Sameer playing with white opted for Tarrasch variation and on 19th move created opposite color Bishop ending. But GM Zaven used all his experience to convert this drawish ending into win.

The Indian players viz, IM V A V Rajesh (ELO 2343) and Swayansh Mishra defeated GM M Vadim (ELO 2552) of Belarus and GM Hossain Enamul (ELO 2487) of Bangladesh respectively.

In the Under 2100, Ramkrishna Perumalla (ELO 2086) is jointed by Jalpan Bhat leading with 8 points, followed by V S Negi, Snehal Bhosale and Yogit S with 7.5 points at the end of the 9th round.

Report by Vitthal Madhav

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62 players, 18 countries, 2 world titles on the line

June 5, 2013, 3:13 pm

≫ Next: 5th Capo d’Orso Tournament in Palau

≪ Previous: GM Pantsulaia Levan leads in Mumbai after 9 rounds

62 players from 18 countries will compete for the titles In FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships
05.06.2013
http://khantymansiysk2013.fide.com

From June, 5 till June, 10 2013 Khanty-Mansiysk will be the capital of world chess. 62 chess players from 18 countries arrived to Khanty-Mansiysk for FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships.

The representatives of chess powers such as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Israel, India, the United States and Armenia will compete in Ugra. Representatives of Iran, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Spain and other countries will also take part in the tournament. More than thirty players will defend the honor of Russia. Among the Russians there are clear favorites of the tournament –current world champion in blitz Alexander Grischuk, Jan Nepomniachi and Sergey Rublevsky. Among the participants you can also see the winner of VIII Ugra Governor Cup Ildar Khayrullin from St. Petersburg and 14-year-old prodigy from Omsk, international master, chess rising star Vladislav Artemyev.

Dmitry Yakovenko, Alexei Pridorozhni, Sergey Rublevsky, Denis Khismatullin, Alexey Dreev, Alexey Bezgodov and Nikolay Kabanov will defend the honor of the autonomous region of Ugra.

Blitz and rapid are the most entertaining chess disciplines. It’s interesting to watch the games not only for the professionals and experts, but also to wider audience. All over the world rapid and blitz is gaining a big popularity. You can watch on-line all the chess battles in Khanty-Mansiysk on portals ugrasport.com and chesstv.com.

All participants, guests of the tournament, as well as people of Ugra will be gathered for the Opening Ceremony on 5th of June. World Rapid Championship will be held in the Ugra Chess Academy from 6th of June and will last for three days. World Blitz Championship is scheduled for 9, 10 of June. The Closing Ceremony will take place on 10th of June.

The total prize fund of the championship is 400 000 U.S. dollars, which also shows the high status of the tournament.

Immediately after the end of the championships in rapid chess and blitz Khanty-Mansiysk will bring together about 200 participants of the international scientific-practical conference “The chess education – an important resource of the world system of education.” 30 leading experts in chess education from eight countries (Sweden, Latvia, Armenia, Brazil, Israel, Serbia, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan) will hold master classes in Ugra.

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5th Capo d’Orso Tournament in Palau

June 5, 2013, 7:20 pm

≫ Next: The Sniper! How to Beat the Maroczy Bind ... and more

≪ Previous: 62 players, 18 countries, 2 world titles on the line

The 5th edition of the Capo d’Orso open is taking place on 1st-6th June at the Residence Hotel Porto Mannu in Palau.

It is a 9 round Swiss open with a classical FIDE time control. The first prizes are distributed as follows: 1st – 1.000 €; 2nd – 800 €; 3rd – 650 €; 4th – 500 €, etc.

The tournament, organized for the first time in 2007, has already become Sardinia’s most prominent and one of Italy’s most renowned chess events. As for last year, we have invited a number of Italian and international players who will make it possible to acquire FIDE GM and IM norms (depending on the opposition met).

The tournament will be played in a recently opened air-conditioned playing hall, with wooden chess sets and boards and DGT clocks for all players. Morning lectures of the duration of approximately one hour will be held by leading IM/GM trainers (among them Jacob Aagaard, Mihail Marin, Jonathan Rowson and Fabiano Caruana). And all around, the enchanting setting of Porto Mannu and its “all-chess-and-sea-resort”.

After six rounds, Italian Axel Rombaldoni and Romanian Mihail Marin are leading with 5/6 points. No less than 16 players are sharing second place a whole point behind the leaders.

Tournament website

Standings after 6 rounds (leaders):

1 IM Rombaldoni Axel 2484 5
2 GM Marin Mihail 2549 5
3 GM Libiszewski Fabien 2520 4
4 WGM L’ami Alina 2345 4
5 GM Tischbierek Raj 2426 4
6 IM Lanzani Mario 2303 4
7 WIM Caoili Arianne 2219 4
8 GM Rowson Jonathan 2574 4
9 IM Loeffler Stefan 2425 4
10 FM Bonafede Alessandro 2353 4

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The Sniper! How to Beat the Maroczy Bind ... and more

June 5, 2013, 10:01 pm

≫ Next: ASEAN chess championships begin in Thailand

≪ Previous: 5th Capo d’Orso Tournament in Palau

Kasparov Stomps Shirov, Classic King's Indian!

Kasparov Stomps Shirov, Classic King's Indian!
Posted on June 05,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Blitz/Bullet Chess. It is undeniable that Garry Kasparov is one of the best chess players in the history of the game. In the following chess video excerpt, Grandmaster James Plaskett analyzes a classic Kasparov victory with the black pieces in the King's Indian Defense. Kasparov's opponent in this game is the legendary Alexey Shirov, an extremely dangerous attacking player who is renown for his incredible tactical sense and imagination. Shirov opens with 1. d4 and a[...]

IM Andrew Martin Presents: Winning with the Ruy Lopez, Delayed Exchange Variation
Posted on June 03,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest and most popular chess openings ever. It is also one of the most heavily analyzed openings in today's game and continues to enjoy incredible popularity at all levels (elite players such as Anand, Caruana, Kamsky, Nakamura, etc.. continue to play the Ruy Lopez). However many players don't like playing the Ruy Lopez and are scared to learn it because the accompanying theory is very extensive. And that's why IM And[...]

The c3 Sicilian - Crushing Black's Sidelines
Posted on May 31,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The c3 Sicilian is itself a sideline against the Sicilian Defense, but that doesn't mean that black has to follow the main lines either! After 1. e4 c5 2. c3 there is ample room to maneuver for black as he maintains a variety of different moves at his disposal. The main lines of the c3 Sicilian after 1. e4 c5 2. c3 are 2. ..e6, d5, d6, and g6 - but what should you do if black deviates from these principal continuations? In the following chess vid[...]

The Sniper! How to Beat the Maroczy Bind
Posted on May 29,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Sniper! is an exceptionally versatile opening choice for black, however the Maroczy Bind can give you trouble if you aren't familiar with effective plans to break down white's space advantage. The Maroczy Bind is a very direct system for white, playing to maintain a big center and permanently prevent black from achieving thematic breaks involving ..d5 and ..b5 thrusts. In the following chess video excerpt from the extensive 4-Volume chess DVD[...]

OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shopwith tons of free updated previews.

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ASEAN chess championships begin in Thailand

June 5, 2013, 10:02 pm

≫ Next: XXI Montcada International Tournament

≪ Previous: The Sniper! How to Beat the Maroczy Bind ... and more

The ASEAN chess championships for U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16, and U-20 Age-Groups for Girls and Open begin in Thailand today. Standard, rapid, and blitz chess will be part of the festival program with the following time controls:

Standard Chess: Each player has 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment (starting from first move).
Rapid Chess: Each player has 25 minutes to complete the game.
Blitz Chess: Each player has 5 minutes to complete the game.

A total of 386 players among which 3 IMs, 3 WIMs, 19 FMs, and 10 WFMs will participate in the rapid championship. See full list of ASEAN girls participants here and the full list of ASEAN boys participants here. Tomorrow the lists for the standard and blitz competitions will be announced.

The top three players of each group will be awarded medals, while the winners of the ASEAN U20 girls and boys groups will be awarded WIM and IM titles.

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XXI Montcada International Tournament

June 5, 2013, 10:03 pm

≫ Next: Topalov still perfect at Sberbank Rapid Tournament

≪ Previous: ASEAN chess championships begin in Thailand

The XXI Open Internacional Ciutat de Montcada will take place from June 25th to July 3rd at the Ciutat de Montcada Hotel. c/. Verdi 12. Centro Comercial El Punt. Montcada i Reixac. Estación Renfe Montcada Ripollet.

The event is a part of the X Catalan Chess Circuit and is qualified as a “Superior A” tournament.

The tournament will be divided in two groups. Group A for players with an Elo rating over 2000, and Group B for players that do not meet this criterion. It will be a 9-rounds Swiss open, valid for FIDE, FEDA and FCDE.

The time control will be 90 minutes for the whole game with 30 seconds increments from move 1.

First prizes in Group A: 1.200 € / 700 € / 600 € / 500 € / 400 €.

The registration deadline is June 24th.

A strong group of GMs has already registered to participate. First seeds are Romanian Liviu-Ditier Nisipeanu, Argentinian Fernando Peralta, Cuban Isán Ortiz, defending champion Vladimir Burmakin and Georgian Levan Aroshidze.

42 players are signed up to participate in the B group.

Official website

Registered players – A Group (top seeds):

1 GM Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter ROU 2665
2 GM Peralta Fernando ARG 2622
3 GM Ortiz Suarez Isan Reynaldo CUB 2612
4 GM Burmakin Vladimir RUS 2575
5 GM Aroshidze Levan GEO 2568
6 GM Gleizerov Evgeny RUS 2553
7 GM Sanikidze Tornike GEO 2553
8 GM Cori Jorge PER 2549
9 GM Ulibin Mikhail RUS 2523
10 GM Bacallao Alonso Yusnel CUB 2519
11 GM Cabrera Alexis ESP 2516
12 IM Pancevski Filip MKD 2513
13 IM Guerra Mendez Jose Angel CUB 2505
14 IM Gomez Garrido Camilo Ernesto CUB 2504
15 GM Cruz Cristhian PER 2499
16 GM Perez Mitjans Orelvis ESP 2496
17 GM Flores Rios Mauricio CHI 2492
18 IM Moreno Ruiz Javier ESP 2486
19 GM Cuartas Jaime Alexander COL 2484
20 IM Asis Gargatagli Hipolito ESP 2482
21 GM Bakre Tejas IND 2470
22 IM Escobar Forero Alder COL 2468
23 GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J. IND 2468
24 IM Narayanan Srinath IND 2464
25 GM Neelotpal Das IND 2461
26 GM Munoz Pantoja Miguel ESP 2459
27 IM Fernandez Cardoso Alexey CUB 2459
28 GM Herraiz Hidalgo Herminio ESP 2447
29 IM Saptarshi Roy IND 2447
30 IM Alarcon Casellas Rolando CUB 2438
31 WGM Cori T. Deysi PER 2437
32 IM Valdes Leonardo CRC 2436
33 FM Ducarmon Quinten NED 2436
34 IM Panelo Marcelo ARG 2428
35 IM Lorenzo De La Riva Lazaro ESP 2424
36 IM Aloma Vidal Robert ESP 2421
37 GM Mateo Ramon DOM 2413
38 IM Matnadze Ana ESP 2412
39 IM Gagare Shardul IND 2407
40 FM Sanchez Ibern Marc ESP 2401
41 FM Anurag Mhamal IND 2401
42 GM Laxman R.R. IND 2397
43 IM Del Rey Diego ESP 2376
44 FM Camacho Collados Jose KOR 2371
45 IM Rios Cristhian Camilo COL 2360
46 FM Espinoza Palomino Willyam PER 2337
47 WGM Arribas Robaina Maritza CUB 2331
48 IM Vehi Bach Victor Manuel ESP 2321
49 FM Ruiz Aguilar Pablo Alexander COL 2307
50 FM Martinez Ramirez Erik ESP 2306

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Topalov still perfect at Sberbank Rapid Tournament

June 5, 2013, 10:30 pm

≫ Next: Chess Journalists appoint new President and Vice President

≪ Previous: XXI Montcada International Tournament

The Sberbank Rapid Chess Tournament began today in Kiev, Ukraine. The organizers gathered a very interesting line-up mixing elite players with strong motivated GMs. This factor, plus the time control, make for very entertaining chess filled with great fighting spirit.

The first day saw three rounds being played, with ten out of fifteen games finishing decisively. Veselin Topalov arrived quickly from Thessaloniki and played fiercely to finish clear first as the only player that won all three games. The other player that stood out was Evgeny Tomashevsky. After drawing against living legend Anatoly Karpov, the Russian won two consecutive games to stand alone in second place on 2.5/3.

Live games with analysis

Topalov’s winning streak began with a victory over German’s number 1 Arkadij Naiditsch with the white pieces. The ex-world champion accepted the space advantage offered by his opponent and went on to grind down black’s cramped position. A lot of precise maneuvering was seen in this game, something quite remarkable to be played with 25 minutes + 10 seconds increments.

Three games finished in draws in this round. Norway Chess winner Sergey Karjakin was the other player to get a full point. Anton Korobov could not stop the Super-GM with the white pieces in a lengthy 84-moves struggle. The Russian used his tiny edge of having a bishop against knight in an endgame to defeat his strong opponent.

The colors of the victories obtained in the second round were distributed evenly, two with white and two with black. Veselin Topalov played another closed structure to get his second point. He chose the French Defense against Alexander Areschenko and beat him in an unbalanced-material middlegame. The Bulgarian evaluated correctly that his opponent’s queen would not be enough to stop his well-coordinated pieces.

Arkadij Naiditsch suffered his second loss against Evgeny Tomashevsky. This time, the German had the black pieces and could not avoid defeat in a complicated opposite-colored bishops endgame. Anton Korobov and Sergei Zhigalko also signed their first wins of the event in this round.

Veselin Topalov sacrificed a pawn in the opening against Sergei Zhigalko, in exchange for a solid pawn structure and good play in the center. The player from Belarus looked for the initiative on the queenside and relied on his passed c-pawn for counterplay. Topalov defended accurately and neutralized this threat to reach the very top of the standings.

Evgeny Tomashevsky demonstrated his strength in the endgame to defeat Anton Korobov with black. A very positional King’s Indian Defense gave the Russian a favorable ending, which was duly converted in 57 moves. Pavel Eljanov reminded us that he used to be in the very top of the elite by defeating Sergey Karjakin with white. Alexander Areschenko also got his first win.

The games continue tomorrow with rounds 4-6.

Standings after 3 rounds:

1 Topalov, Veselin BUL 2784 3

2 Tomashevsky, Evgeny RUS 2709 2½

3 Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2707 1½
4 Zhigalko, Sergei BLR 2661 1½
5 Leko, Peter HUN 2737 1½
6 Karjakin, Sergey RUS 2782 1½
7 Areshchenko, Alexander UKR 2708 1½

8 Karpov, Anatoly RUS 2619 1
9 Korobov, Anton UKR 2715 1

10 Naiditsch, Arkadij GER 2710 0

Photos by Yury Kolomytsev

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Chess Journalists appoint new President and Vice President

June 5, 2013, 11:09 pm

≫ Next: World Rapid and Blitz opening ceremony

≪ Previous: Topalov still perfect at Sberbank Rapid Tournament

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 30, 2013
Chess Journalists appoint new President and Vice President

The Board of Directors of Chess Journalists of America (CJA) has announced the election of Frank Niro and Jeffrey Roland as interim president and vice president, respectively, of CJA. Mr. Niro replaces Al Lawrence who recently stepped down in order to undergo surgery. Mr. Roland, currently President of Idaho Chess Association and editor of Northwest Chess, fills an existing vacancy. The leadership of CJA has been disrupted in recent years as a result of the passing of veteran journalists Jerry Hanken, John Hillery and Ira Lee Riddle. Niro and Roland have agreed to serve until the next CJA regular election in August.

Frank Niro is former President of the US Chess Trust and was the executive director of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) from 2001 to 2003. He was the editor of the Chess Horizons, the award winning Massachusetts state magazine, from 1984 to 1986, and served as interim editor of Northwest Chess from August to November 2012. Over the years, Frank has been recognized by CJA with individual awards for best feature article, best layout and best photograph. In 1986, he received Honorable Mention in the CJA category of Chess Journalist of the Year.

Additionally, Frank served brief editorial stints with Cap’n Harry’s Long Diagonal, where he was co-editor with Harry Simon, Princeton Children’s Chess News and APCT News Bulletin. He has contributed one or more articles, games, letters or photos to Chess Life magazine in each of the past five decades. Most recently his piece on the 36th Cardinal Open and the passing of Mike Anders appeared in the March 2013 issue of Chess Life and the May 2013 Ohio Chess Bulletin. His eight page tribute to the life and games of Robert Byrne will appear in the August 2013 Chess Life.

Frank passed the CPA exam in 1974 but spent the bulk of his professional career as a hospital administrator in the Boston area. He was selected as one of the “Top 25 turnaround hospital administrators in the U.S.” by Healthweek magazine in March 1989. After suffering a minor stroke in 1998, he enrolled at University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) to pursue a Ph.D. in Chess in Education He withdrew in December 2001 in order to serve as interim Executive Director of the USCF. While at UTD he was assistant coach of the national collegiate championship chess team.

Following a heart attack in February 2003 and a pulmonary embolism a few months later, Frank was unable to maintain the difficult travel schedule and, as a result, resigned his tenure at the helm of the USCF prior to the 2003 US Open in Los Angeles.

Frank relocated to Seattle in 2006 where he lived on the farm of radio personality Delilah Rene (www.delilah.com) while working on his memoir. He is on the faculty of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where he serves as Executive-in-Residence in the graduate program in Health Administration and teaches a course entitled “Strategic and Business Planning for Healthcare Professionals.”

Frank has collaborated on five chess books and is still trying to finish his memoir, All Over the Board, scheduled for release in 2014. Since 2006, he has maintained a popular blog entitled This Week’s Chess Safari (http://www.twchesssafari.blogspot.com). He is a founding board member of the Susan Polgar Foundation, a non-profit organization that has awarded over $3,000,000 in college scholarships through its partners during the past ten years.

As president of CJA, Frank would like to see the web site expanded to provide resources and instruction to aspiring journalists on a variety of topics including style guides, copyright laws, photo credits, grammar and punctuation tips, diagrams, applets, writing feedback, outstanding examples of chess journalism, a certification track, and use of publication software such as InDesign.

As mentioned above, Jeffrey Roland of Boise, Idaho, was elected CJA vice president filling a vacant position on the CJA Board until the upcoming elections at the 2013 U.S. Open in Madison, Wisconsin.

Jeff played his first chess tournament at the age of 17 in 1980. Shortly thereafter, his career as a chess journalist began when he prepared a bulletin for the 1981 Boise State University Invitational. He bought a new typewriter for the purpose of typing each of the games from the October 1981 Boise Open, when he meticulously typed every game of every player in English Descriptive notation in order to save them for posterity. Later, with the help of his mom’s 35mm camera, he began a lifelong fascination with chess photography.

As a result, ICA President John Letterman asked Jeff to serve as contributing editor to the first few issues of the new state publication, Idaho Chess News, in 1982. He soon became the main editor and remained in that position until 1989. Additionally, he edited and published a special Annual issue in 1999. Jeff was a protégée of well known chess player and organizer, Dick Vandenberg, who was himself a Regional Vice President of the U. S. Chess Federation and long time tournament director of Correspondence Chess League of America. Mr. Roland was elected president of ICA for the first time in 1984 and has served multiple terms over the years. His present term expires in March, 2015.

Jeff recently completed a project to scan all of the old Idaho Chess Bulletins from the 1950s and 60s. He initiated the first ICA web site in 1999 and still maintains the current site today. He has remained an energetic catalyst for preserving Idaho’s rich chess history and presently holds the papers of Dick Vandenberg as well former Idaho state champion, Glen Buckendorf, who was the strongest player in Idaho for many years. Both are now deceased but, thanks to Jeff, their results and activities can be researched and enjoyed forever.

“Writing down and documenting tournament results, games and personalities so that they are available to future generations is what has motivated me to volunteer as an organizer and officer,” Roland said. “This urge is entwined in my being and continues as a motivating force. The record needs to be preserved!”

At present, Jeff is a participant in the massive project to scan old issues of Northwest Chess, a regional publication that has been in circulation since November 1947. He is also retyping old Idaho publications into HTML so, for example, names can be searched online. In the process, obvious typos have been corrected to make the search process more meaningful. He hopes to remain in his current role as Northwest Chess editor for many years to come now that he has successfully climbed the learning curve of the Adobe InDesign software.

As a Board member of CJA, Jeff seeks to promote a spirit of record preservation, including an effort to collect game scores at all chess tournaments and the creation of an archive of CJA award winning articles and other examples of good writing to assist aspiring chess journalists. He believes that a formal back-up plan should be developed so that if USCF records become unavailable, as has happened in the past, there is a guarantee that the historical record will be maintained.

“Everything we do today is the history of tomorrow,” Jeff said. “We, as journalists, have a responsibility to maintain an accurate account and not modify or interpret the historical record through a political filter. It is critical that CJA not become a political organization.”

Jeff anticipates working with Interim President Frank Niro, a good friend whom he has worked with on other projects such as the reunification of Idaho with Washington and Oregon into NWC, the publication of Northwest Chess magazine online in both black & white and color editions, and as co-tournament directors at various chess tournaments including the 2011 Portland Centennial. They have already made a commitment to work together to assist in the cataloguing of the USCF library in Crossville, Tennessee, to transition the CJA web site in support of education and research, and to develop a Strategic Plan for the organization in order to position CJA for the future.

For further information, please visit the Chess Journalists of America web site at:

http://chessjournalism.org

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World Rapid and Blitz opening ceremony

June 5, 2013, 11:40 pm

≫ Next: Chess tactic review

≪ Previous: Chess Journalists appoint new President and Vice President

The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2013 will take place on 4st – 11th June in Khanty-Mansiysk, Ugra Region, Russia.

Live: All games World Rapid Chess 2013 / All games World Blitz Chess 2013

62 chess players from 18 countries have arrived to Khanty-Mansiysk for FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships. The traditional opening ceremony took place on the 5th of June. The show combined two forms of art – performing art and theater. During the show spectators were able to follow a real chess battle of two kings. The organizers were trying to show that chess is not limited to just 64 squares of the chessboard, rather a whole life, where each of us makes his own moves. Scroll down for a photo report.

18 flags of participating countries have decorated the stage during the show. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the head of the Summer Sports Department of Russian Ministry of Sports Grigory Kabelsky were invited to the stage for the opening speech.

“Chess is special in our country. Millions of people love and play chess”, – said Grigory Kabelsky. He wished all the players to have nice and thoughtful games.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov noted that the capital of Ugra has been holding big international competitions for 8 years. “We can state the fact that today each chess player knows what is Khanty-Mansiysk and where it is. This city has become the center for the chess development”, stressed the FIDE President. He reminded that 2010 Chess Olympiad held in the Ugorian capital is acknowledged as one of the best organized chess Olympiads.

Alexey Putin has emphasized a big value of chess for Khanty Mansiysk Okrug. “More than 23 000 children study chess in our Okrug. We have successful results not only within Okrug but also outside it. That is why we will do our utmost to support chess development in Ugra. It is a great honor for us to host the best chess players and to organize chess events of highest possible levels. We support and will continue supporting this sport”, – Alexey Andreevich concluded.

The chief arbiter Andrzej Fillipowicz from Poland was asked to the stage to greet the audience. “It is a great honor to be here in this “chess city” Khanty-Mansiysk. I wish Ugra lots of new big tournaments”, added the arbiter.

To carry out the drawing procedure the chief arbiter invited the European Champion of 2010 Ian Nepomniachtchi to the stage. The Russian grandmaster drew the black pawn for top-seeded Alexander Grischuk who is arriving to Khanty-Mansiysk next morning.

Photos: official website

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Chess tactic review

June 6, 2013, 12:00 am

≫ Next: World rapid championship LIVE!

≪ Previous: World Rapid and Blitz opening ceremony

White to move and checkmate in 4. Can you solve it?

This was sent in by Kirk Finkbeiner. It's his first composition. Good job!

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World rapid championship LIVE!

June 6, 2013, 1:00 am

≫ Next: Sberbank Chess 2013 LIVE!

≪ Previous: Chess tactic review

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

↧

Sberbank Chess 2013 LIVE!

June 6, 2013, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Nepomniachtchi & Dreev lead World Rapid Championship after 5

≪ Previous: World rapid championship LIVE!

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

↧

Nepomniachtchi & Dreev lead World Rapid Championship after 5

June 6, 2013, 8:54 am

≫ Next: International Conference on Applications of Chess and Education

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Leaders after 5 rounds

Full standings here: http://wrbc2013.fide.com

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International Conference on Applications of Chess and Education

June 6, 2013, 9:02 am

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The 1st International Conference on the Applications of Chess and Education will take place in Buitrago de Lozoya from June 25th to June 29th at the GSD Buitrago Campus.

It will be organized by the Gredos San Diego Cooperative and by the National Distance Education University (UNED). A International School Chess Tournament, subject to official ELO rankings, will take place simultaneously.

The 1st International Conference on the Applications of Chess and Education will begin with addresses by Susan Polgar, José Antonio Marina, and Leontxo García.

Gredos San Diego Cooperative and the National Distance Education University believe in the educational role of chess as a tool to teach thinking, and are proud to recognize Spain as a leader in socially applied chess.

With this vision in mind, the conference will include international speakers at the forefront of the field. Gredos San Diego and the UNED are confident that the event will be a turning point for the recognition of chess as an educational tool.

The Conference will be led by Leontxo García, FIDE Master, journalist, and researcher, together with Maria José Albert, PhD in Educational Science with a degree in Psychology, Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Studies and psycho-pedagogical specialist at the UNED, and author of the book Educational Research (La Investigación Educativa).

The Conferences, workshops, and round tables will be guided by distinguished persons including José Antonio Marina, Susan Polgar, Juan Blanco, Juan Antonio Montero, Joaquín Fernández Amigó, Pep Suárez, Adriana Salazar, Ramón Aciego, Joaquín Pérez de Arriaga, Daniel Escobar, José Ángel López de Turiso, Juan Carlos Antón, and Anna Rudolf.

Participants may register at www.chesshelpsyouthink.com, where a complete schedule for the Conference and Tournament, information on fees, and contact details to request more information may be found.

The program is designed in such a way that all participants may provide their comments and ideas both during the Q&A sessions following morning conferences and in the workshops and round tables in the afternoons. All participants will receive two academic credits from the UNED.

International School Tournament, open to boys and girls and subject to official ELO rankings, will be held alongside the Conference. The tournament will include categories from SUB 8 to SUB 18 and will be arbitrated by Luis Blasco de la Cruz, a national senior chess coach and international arbiter.

Younger participants staying on the GSD Campus will enjoy a fun cultural program focused on getting to know the area, as well as Spanish cinema and cuisine. Accompanying adults will have the option of attending the round tables and the opening and closing speeches of the Conference.

GSD Buitrago is a comfortable, all-inclusive, and modern facility perfect for relaxing outside of conference hours.

Gredos San Diego Cooperative

The Gredos San Diego Cooperative of Madrid is a educational enterprise owned and operated by the employees themselves based on a cooperative model, and dedicated to social responsibility and the provision of a public service while maintaining the efficiency of a private company.

Gredos San Diego was founded in 1985 by a group of 19 employees who assumed ownership of the school in anticipation of the owner, D. Julio López Herrero’s retirement.

The Gredos San Diego Cooperative currently employs over 1,300 individuals, both teaching faculty and staff, of whom 925 are cooperative members, making it the largest non-tertiary educational institution in the Community of Madrid with a 5% market share, and the largest Spanish enterprise dedicated to the model of social economics.

On May 2nd 2010, GSD was honored with the Medalla de Plata by the Community of Madrid for its “work in developing educational systems

The Gredos San Diego schools are secular with a vision of fostering tolerance and freedom of thought while instilling educational values based on respect for human dignity and promoting interest in research and discovery both in the sciences and the humanities.

The Cooperative currently operates seven schools in the Community of Madrid. The Gredos San Diego School of Alcalá is operated through a collaborative agreement with the Educación Activa Complutense cooperative, under the same GSD management model.

Gredos San Diego also has two Nature Classrooms: the Milky Way Nature Classroom in Casavieja (Ávila), and the Sendas del Riaza Nature Classroom in Valdevacas de Montejo (Segovia).

These projects serve dual functions of providing education oriented toward respect for the environment, and promoting local development.

Over the course of 28 years, the Gredos San Diego Cooperative has achieved the objectives with which it was created and has risen to new challenges with the creation of the GSD Cooperative Group, designed to generate initiatives within the framework of social responsibility. It is the largest cooperative in the Community of Madrid and one of the few currently operating in Spain.

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Six leaders after five rounds in Albena

June 6, 2013, 10:00 am

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The Grand Europe Open 2013 is taking place on 1-9 June at the Albena Hall in the city of Albena, Bulgaria.

The event, organized by the Bulgarian Chess Federation, is a 9 round Swiss open with a time control of 90 min. with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. It is valid for GM/IM norms.

The event had a huge turn-up with 163 registered players, including 27 Grandmasters and 36 International Masters. Thirty different nationalities are represented in the event.

After five rounds, six players obtained 4.5 points to share the lead. The strong Armenians Tigran Petrosian and Hrant Melkumyan are joined by legendary Evgeny Sveshnikov, Argentine Sandro Mareco, Romanian Vladislav Nevednichy and the only IM in the pack, Indian Prasanna Vishnu.

Official website

Standings after 5 rounds (leaders):

1 IM Vishnu Prasanna. V 2494 4.5
2 GM Mareco Sandro 2557 4.5
3 GM Nevednichy Vladislav 2580 4.5
4 GM Sveshnikov Evgeny 2512 4.5
5 GM Melkumyan Hrant 2635 4.5
6 GM Petrosian Tigran L. 2649 4.5

7 GM Parligras Mircea-Emilian 2565 4
8 GM Mekhitarian Krikor Sevag 2544 4
9 IM Molina Roberto Junio Brito 2423 4
10 GM Chatalbashev Boris 2560 4
11 GM Vajda Levente 2617 4
12 GM Grigoryan Avetik 2605 4
13 GM Drenchev Petar 2485 4
14 IM Ashwin Jayaram 2472 4
15 GM Gavrilov Alexei 2454 4
16 GM Abramovic Bosko 2458 4

17 GM Spasov Vasil 2565 3.5
18 Paravyan David 2373 3.5
19 GM Berescu Alin-Mile 2461 3.5
20 GM Solodovnichenko Yuri 2565 3.5
21 GM Grigorov Grigor 2510 3.5
22 FM Valles Manuel 2261 3.5
23 IM Arnaudov G. Petar 2490 3.5
24 IM Bernadskiy Vitaliy 2475 3.5
25 FM Lilov Valeri 2434 3.5
26 GM Solak Dragan 2598 3.5
27 FM Anurag Mhamal 2401 3.5
28 IM Zarkua Davit 2441 3.5
29 IM Smith Bryan G 2467 3.5
30 IM Atakisi Umut 2351 3.5
31 WGM Sukandar Irine Kharisma 2364 3.5
32 IM Enchev Ivajlo 2473 3.5
33 IM Givon Asaf 2415 3.5
34 IM Javakhadze Zurab 2450 3.5
35 IM Nakar Eylon 2390 3.5
36 IM Galinsky Timofey 2439 3.5
37 IM Kanmazalp Ogulcan 2382 3.5

38 IM Georgescu Tiberiu-Marian 2375 3
39 GM Lupulescu Constantin 2655 3
40 IM Erturan Yakup 2374 3
41 IM Swapnil S. Dhopade 2469 3
42 GM Sanduleac Vasile 2414 3
43 GM Gupta Abhijeet 2600 3
44 IM Chighladze Iveri 2396 3
45 Sagar Shah 2359 3
46 WGM Ziaziulkina Nastassia 2330 3
47 WIM Dolzhykova Kateryna 2301 3
48 Yurtseven Melih 2166 3
49 IM Sveshnikov Vladimir 2411 3
50 IM Gorbatov Alexej 2350 3
51 GM Nabaty Tamir 2579 3
52 IM Cvetkovic Srdjan 2387 3
53 Ozveren Ali Bulent 2000 3
54 IM Raznikov Danny 2491 3
55 IM Dambrauskas Virginijus 2285 3
56 WIM Tarasova Viktoriya 2292 3
57 GM Gruenfeld Yehuda 2445 3
58 GM Spassov Liuben 2335 3
59 IM Arngrimsson Dagur 2396 3
60 FM Mgeladze Tamaz 2197 3
61 Primbetov Kazbek 2225 3
62 IM Skomorokhin Roman 2331 3
63 Matviishen Viktor 2046 3
64 IM Kukov Velislav 2396 3
65 Danov Radi 2010 3

66 GM Glek Igor 2464 2.5
67 Shishkov Minko 2264 2.5
68 FM Hainke Guntram Dr. 2310 2.5
69 IM Shurygin Sergey 2390 2.5
70 FM Guempel Viktor 2212 2.5

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NICE Chess Founder is ABC 13 New Social Media Coordinator

June 6, 2013, 10:59 am

≫ Next: Topalov leads Sberbank Open 2013 after 6

≪ Previous: Six leaders after five rounds in Albena

I’m pleased to announce that Lisa Suhay will be joining WVEC next week as our Social Media Coordinator. This is a new position on our staff and Lisa’s background gives her outstanding preparation to help us ramp up our social media efforts. She has extensive experience as a reporter, editor, blogger, and social media author, including stints at the Virginian-Pilot, New York Times, and Christian Science Monitor. She’s involved in several excellent community projects and has also been a high school teacher, so she will be able to teach us all how to improve our skills in social media.

After a training period, she will be working 2:30-11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and occupying the desk currently used by the Digital News Producers, Dottie and Shelly, who are relocating to the Assignment Desk area in order to improve communication with news coverage. Lisa’s first day is Tuesday, June 11.

Thanks,
Pete

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Topalov leads Sberbank Open 2013 after 6

June 6, 2013, 12:12 pm

≫ Next: World Rapid Championship day 1 review

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Official website: http://www.sberbank-open.com.ua

1.	Topalov, Veselin	BUL	2784	*	.	0	1	.	½	1	.	1	1	4½
2.	Leko, Peter	HUN	2737	.	*	½	½	1	½	.	1	½	.	4
3.	Karjakin, Sergey	RUS	2782	1	½	*	.	.	.	½	0	1	1	4
4.	Zhigalko, Sergei	BLR	2661	0	½	.	*	½	.	1	1	.	1	4
5.	Tomashevsky, Evgeny	RUS	2709	.	0	.	½	*	½	½	.	1	1	3½
6.	Karpov, Anatoly	RUS	2619	½	½	.	.	½	*	.	1	0	0	2½
7.	Areshchenko, Alexander	UKR	2708	0	.	½	0	½	.	*	½	.	1	2½
8.	Eljanov, Pavel	UKR	2707	.	0	1	0	.	0	½	*	½	.	2
9.	Korobov, Anton	UKR	2715	0	½	0	.	0	1	.	½	*	.	2
10.	Naiditsch, Arkadij	GER	2710	0	.	0	0	0	1	0	.	.	*	1

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World Rapid Championship day 1 review

June 6, 2013, 12:15 pm

≪ Previous: Topalov leads Sberbank Open 2013 after 6

1st day Review: Nepomnyaschiy and Dreev tied for the first place at World Rapid Championship.

The 1st day of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2013 in Khanty-Mansiysk is over. 58 participants from 17 countries started their fights for the chess crown. The first symbolic move on the 1st table was made by Alexey Putin, the vice governor of Ugra in the game between Alexander Grischuk, the current world champion, and Ivan Popov, the champion of Moscow 2012.

After three rounds three grandmasters Yan Nepomnyaschiy, Alexey Dreev from Russia and Francisco Vallejo from Spain were leading on field with 3 out of 3. Nevertheless Nepomnyaschiy became the leader after the 4th round after his victory over Francisco Vallejo. At the mean time Alexey Dreev and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov from Azerbaijan were half a point behind. But in the 5th round Nepomnyaschiy and Ildar Khairullin agreed on draw on the 16th move. Dreev outplayedVictor Bologan from Moldavia and caught the leader.

The current situation at the end of the 1st day is as follows 1-2. Nepomnyaschiy, Dreev (both players are from Russia) both have 4,5 points, 3-4. Mamedyarov, Khairullin both have 4 points, 5-12. Alexander Grischuk, Dmitry Andreikin and Vladimir Potkin (all three are from Russia), Victor Bologan (Moldavia), Francisco Vallejo (Spain), Ivan Cheparinov (Bulgaria), Gata Kamsky (USA), Eltaj Safarli (Azerbaijan) all have 3,5 points.

Among the men participants there is a woman chess player, Kateryna Lagno from Ukraine, twice European champion. She made 4 draws but lost against Boris Grachev (Russia) in the 5th round.

6th-10th rounds of the Championship are scheduled on Friday June 7, the 2nd tournament day.

World Rapid Championship will be held in the Ugra Chess Academy from 6th till 8th of June. Participants will play 15 games – five games per day. According to the Regulations the time control is 15 minutes till the end of the game plus an additional 10 seconds per move. All monetary prizes are shared equally, in cases of any tied positions.

Official website: http://wrbc2013.fide.com/
Photo gallery: http://wrbc2013.fide.com/category/photo

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Recommended book: An evening with Grandpa - Adventures in Chess Land

June 6, 2013, 8:54 pm

≫ Next: The Sniper! How to Beat the Maroczy Bind ... and more

≪ Previous: World Rapid Championship day 1 review

When little Annie gets sick one night, she has no choice but to stay at home while her family has fun at the theater. It seems that Annie will have to spend a boring evening with Grandpa until he unexpectedly begins to tell her a fairy tale about Pawnie, a young girl who lives in the faraway Chess Kingdom.

Does the inexperienced Pawnie have what it takes to succeed in this incredible adventure and make her dream of becoming a princess come true? "An Evening With Grandpa" will take a young reader on a journey through the fairy tale which will blend the magic of chess with a special night for Annie and her grandfather.

You can buy the book (either print or Kindle edition) on Amazon, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0988785013

Kindle version will be free this weekend so anybody can download it from the same link on Saturday/Sunday at no charge.

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