December 5, 2013, 2:30 pm
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My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Chess (Part 2)
I have experienced hundreds if not thousands of exciting, wonderful and memorable moments during my chess career, a career that has spanned almost 40 years. It was not easy, but I have narrowed these moments down to the top 10.
6. Becoming the first woman ever to break the gender barrier, qualifying for the Men’s World Championship Zonal Tournament
This was a historic moment for me as well as for women’s chess. A woman chess player finally had been able to break through the gender barrier and qualify for the “Men’s World Championship” Zonal tournament. This is a moment I will always cherish. Unfortunately, this occasion brought me both wonderful memories as well as horrific ones.
Between April and May of 1986, I participated in the Hungarian National Championship in Budapest. Going into the tournament, all participants were told that the top 3 finishers would qualify to play in the “Men’s” World Championship Zonal Tournament. I had just turned 17 right before the tournament and until then, nobody would even think about a woman qualifying for the “Men’s” World Championship.
But I was brought up differently by my parents. I was taught that I could accomplish anything I want if I put in the hard work. I had put in a lot of hard work since I had been 4 or 5. Unfortunately, I was not told that as a woman and Jew, I would be black-listed. By the time my younger sisters had begun to play serious chess, my battles had cleared the way for them.
The unexpected happened. Knowing that I needed to finish in the top 3 to achieve the unthinkable, I paced myself to accomplish just that. I finished tied for 2nd with IM Laszlo Hazai, behind Grandmaster Ivan Farago. I was very happy of what I have accomplished. I had become the first woman ever to quality for the “Men’s World Championship” Zonal tournament.
But The happy moment quickly turned sour. Many people were not happy. The Hungarian Chess Federation announced that only the top two would represent Hungary and not the top three.
No problem, I said to myself. So we will have a play-off between IM Hazai and me and the winner will move on. Wrong! The decision was made. Susan Polgar is not going to the “Men’s World Championship” Zonal tournament. IM Hazai had a better tie-break and he will represent Hungary.
After I legitimately qualified and broke the gender barrier, I learned rules can be changed at any time (especially if you are a Jewish woman). To add more insult to injury, FIDE also refused to allow me to participate in the Men’s World Championship Zonal tournament. The reason? The word “Men’s Championship” speaks for itself.
Dr. Laszlo Lako of Hungary stated that he would not allow Polgar or any other Hungarian women to play in the Men’s World Championship Zonal tournament even if FIDE would have agreed to let me play. The Hungarian federation and FIDE succeeded in stopping me from participating even though I had earned my spot. However, they could not stop women forever. They had to change the name to the World Chess Championship in the following cycle and the word ‘Men’ was removed.
Fortunately, my loss was a gain for women in chess. Now, all women can compete in the overall World Chess Championship. Someday, hopefully another woman can break through the next barrier and win it all. But in the meantime, I am very proud to be able to chisel through the wall of gender discrimination in chess for future generations. I am happy to see so many good women players besides my sisters such as GM Hou Yifan, GM Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk, the Kosintseva sisters, and other Chinese women players, etc. I hope this trend will continue.
Another reason why this event was one of the most memorable moments for me is because it made me a stronger player and a better human being. Rather than dwelling on the discrimination and unfairness, I used it as a motivational tool. I realized that I had to work even harder to accomplish my goals. I also learned to be more compassionate and understanding to everyone because I want no one to experience what I had experienced.
5. Becoming the #1 ranked woman player in the world at age 15
At the age of 15, I became the #1 ranked woman player in the world. This was quite a memorable moment for me. My ELO at that time was the highest of any woman in history. In addition, I was also the youngest woman player in the top 25 in the world ranking. I may have been ranked #1 even sooner had I been allowed to travel freely to play. Unfortunately, I had very limited opportunity to play to gain ELO points. This was how things used to work in the Communist countries at that time. Many similar stories existed in the Soviet Union as well.
Beside the personal satisfaction of beating the system and gaining the #1 ranking in spite of so many roadblocks, the door was opened for me to travel to the West. I also had helped from the Western and domestic media, hounding the Hungarian Chess Federation. Finally, the Hungarian Chess Federation could no longer prevent me from playing abroad. And this also helped my 2 younger sisters, Sofia and Judit.
Therefore, even though I was not chasing after the #1 women’s ranking because I was going after the overall World Championship, this event changed my life and my the lives of my family. The Polgar name was then known worldwide. The long-kept secret was out.
In addition, beside the great player from Sweden Pia Cramling and me at that time, no one else could come close to the Soviet women. They had dominated the game for decades. In a way, I have to thank my friend Pia for my achievements in chess. We helped push each other toward the top. It was the kind of friendly rivalry that was needed to help both players.
Once I had the opportunity to play, good things happened. At the age of 16, I had a higher rating than the great world champion Anatoly Karpov at that same age. The following year at 17, I became the top-rated overall junior under 18 in the world, boys or girls. My success continued. By looking back, becoming #1 in the world was a stepping-stone for my professional chess career toward the bigger picture. This is one moment I would never forget.
4. Winning the 1992 Women’s World Blitz and Rapid Championship
In the preceding year (January 1991), I had become the first woman ever to earn the overall grandmaster title through norm qualification. At the end of 1991, my baby sister Judit became the second woman to do the same, followed by Pia Cramling in 1992.
As 1992 began, the Soviet women seemed to have something to prove. At the World Blitz and Rapid Women’s Championship, the big guns came to put on a show. The top 10 women who participated in both of these World Championships were: Judit Polgar; Susan Polgar; M. Chiburdanidze; K. Arakhamia; S. Matveeva; Sophia Polgar; A. Galliamova; A. Maric; E. Sakhatova; and M. Voiska
Even though our official ratings were only 20 points apart, my sister Judit was the odds-on favorite to win both of these world championships. I was the considered to be the contender for the silver medal in both events. The battle in both championships was quite intense. The competition was tough.
In the World Blitz Championship, I finished 1st with 22½ points out of a grueling 26 games, all in one day! With 26 rounds, there could be no luck. It was a battle of chess, mental toughness, physical endurance, and raw nerves. My sister Judit finished right behind me with 22 out of 26. Alisa Galliamova finished 3rd with 20 and my other sister Sophia finished tied with Women’s World Champion Chiburdanidze for 4th with 19½.
In the World Rapid Championship, the race was even closer. Going into the last round, my sister Sophia was leading both Judit and I by one-half point with World Champion Chiburdanidze a half-point behind Judit and me. Therefore, any of us had the chance to win. Both World Champion Chiburdanidze and I won while Judit drew.
Unfortunately, Sophia lost. Therefore, I finished 1st with 12 out of 15 while Sophia had to settle in a 3-way tie for second with 11½. However, Sophia got 2nd place on tie-breaks, with World Champion Chiburdanidze in 3rd and Judit in 4th.
This was a bittersweet moment for me. Even though I was ecstatic that I had won both World Championships, I was sad that it had to be over my two younger sisters. I wish I could have had both of them share the glory with me. How can you enjoy what supposed to be very happy moments when your own sisters did not do as well? It is like Serena and Venus Williams battling it out for the top spot in a Grand Slam. One has to win and one has to lose.
Winning these two World Championships gave me two of the three legs needed to win the Triple Crown in chess (Rapid, Blitz and Conventional Time Control). Only one more and I would accomplish something that had never been done by anyone in chess, male or female, and that is winning the Chess Triple Crown. Therefore, this was a very special moment for me.
Susan Polgar (2550) – Bent Larsen (2560)
Veterans - Women, Monte Carlo, 1994
1. d4 c6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nd7 5. e4 Ngf6 6. Be2 Be7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Be3 a6 9. d5 cxd5 10. cxd5 Ng4 11. Bd2 Nb6?! 12. h3 Nf6 13. Be3 Ne8 14. a4 Nd7 15. a5 g6 16. Nd2 Bg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Nc4 Rb8 19. Qc1! Qf4 [19...Qxc1 20. Rfxc1 b5 21. axb6 Nxb6 22. Na5±] 20. b4 h5 21. Ra2 b5 22. axb6 Nxb6 23. Na5! Kg7 24. Nc6 Ra8 25. Qxf4 exf4 26. Rc1 Nf6 [26...Nc7 27. Na4 Nxa4 28. Rxa4±] 27. Rca1!+- 27...Re8 28. f3 Nfd7 29. Bxa6 Bxa6 30. Rxa6 Rac8 [30...Rxa6 31. Rxa6 Ra8 32. Rxa8 Nxa8 33. Nb5+-] 31. Nb5 Nc4 32. Nca7 Rb8 33. Nxd6 Nxd6 34. Rxd6 Ne5 [34...Rb7 35. Nc6+-] 35. b5 Rb7 36. Rda6 h4 37. Rc1 Nd7 38. Nc8! Rb8 39. Nd6 Rf8 40. Rc7 Ne5 41. b6 Ra8 42. Rxa8 1–0
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December 5, 2013, 10:02 pm
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Grandmaster-elect Danyyil Dvirnyy convincingly won the 73rd Italian Chess Championship by finishing the event with 8,0/11 points, a full point ahead of the last-year champion GM Alberto David and GM Sabino Brunello.
The Championship was held from 21st November to 2nd December at the Hotel Villa Maria Regina, via della Camilluccia 687, in Rome. Earlier Rome hosted the prestigious event 66(!) years ago.
Despite the notable absence of Fabiano Caruana, the Championship featured five Grandmasters and had a field with the average elo 2478.
The playing format was 12-player round robin. The total prize fund was 14,000 EUR, with 3000 EUR awarded to the winner.
Final standings:
1. IM Dvirnyy Danyyil 2560 – 8,0
2-3. GM David Alberto 2580 and GM Brunello Sabino 2615 – 7,0
4. IM Rombaldoni Denis 2462 – 6,5
5. GM Garcia Palermo Carlos 2450 – 6,0
6-7. GM Godena Michele 2501 and GM Rombaldoni Axel 2530 – 5,5
8-9. IM De Filomeno Simone 2431 and IM Stella Andrea 2454 – 5,0
10. IM Caprio Guido 2418 – 4,0
11. IM Bruno Fabio 2414 – 3,5
12. FM Cocchi Andrea 2322 – 3,0
At the end of the competition two players have been drawn for the antidoping control.
More information on Scacchierando
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December 5, 2013, 10:05 pm
European Small Nations Team Championship was held in Monte Carlo, Monaco from 25th November to 1st December 2013. Ten teams from Andorra, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco and San Marino participated in the tournament held under the patronage of FIDE President. The venue of the tournament was the Hotel Hermitage. FIDE President participated in the awarding ceremony together with the President of Monaco Chess Federation Mr. Jean-Michel Rapaire.
Results
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December 5, 2013, 11:00 pm
My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments in Chess (Part 3)
I have experienced hundreds if not thousands of exciting, wonderful and memorable moments during my chess career, a career that has spanned almost 40 years. It was not easy, but I have narrowed these moments down to the top 10. This is a short preview of my best selling book Breaking Through.
10. Meeting Bobby Fischer
9. Scoring 10-0 at the 1973 Budapest Championship for girls under 11 at the age of 4!
8. Winning 1981 World Junior Championship for girls under 16
7. Winning the gold medal at the 1990 Olympiad
6. Becoming the first woman ever to break the gender barrier, qualifying for the Men’s World Championship Zonal Tournament.
5. Becoming the #1 ranked woman player in the world at age 15
4. Winning the 1992 Women’s World Blitz and Rapid Championship
3. Winning the 1996 Women’s World Chess Championship
2. Winning the gold medal at the 1988 Olympiad
1. Becoming the first woman ever to break the gender barrier, earning the Grandmaster title
3. Winning the 1996 Women’s World Chess Championship
Winning the 1996 Women’s World Championship is one of the special highlights of my career. This title gave me the triple crown in chess (Rapid, Blitz and Conventional Time Control). It erased the bad memory of losing the candidate’s match to Ioseliani in 1993 by a coin toss even though I had never trailed at any point in the match. This victory quieted all the doubters who said the Polgar sisters could not play against women, only against men.
The final score was a lopsided 8½- 4½. It seemed to be an easy victory. But such was not the case. I won the match despite facing many personal problems that I have never talked about before. After two games, the score was 1½-½ for my formidable opponent. I opened the third game, for the first time in serious competition, with 1. e4!? This was a shock for my opponent. I obtained a slight advantage but since I was in time pressure already, I decided to offer a draw to my opponent and she accepted the offer. My main strategy was to conserve energy and to recuperate.
This is when things started to go wrong. I had a team that had been with me a long time: my mother, my sister Judit and my trainer GM Lev Psakhis. These are the people I trust and who have known me best in my career. My ex-husband decided to invite his parents from Israel to the match. I repeatedly objected but it did not help. I did not want to have any distractions, especially from the in-laws. He did not care and they arrived on February 1.
To make matters worst, upon arriving back from dinner following the third game, I received news that Mr. Rentero, the match organizer, had fined both my opponent and me $25,000 each for a quick draw in game 3. His decision was absolutely illegal and the tone of his letter was rude and obnoxious. It severely affected me both emotionally and psychologically. I am sure it also affected my opponent as well.
The Chinese delegation was ready to pack up and leave. Both sides were very upset and insulted. After consulting with my trainer, my sister Judit, and my parents, I decided to try to put aside the problem with Mr. Rentero and the in-law situation and played on. At the time, I felt that my decision was right. But there was no guarantee. Chess players react differently when dealing with crises. I felt I got stronger and more focused. I went on to score 4½ points in the next 5 games. The rest is history.
I am still hopeful that maybe one day in the future, the great Women’s World Champion Xie Jun of China and I will have a chance to play another match. Now that I live in and play for the United States, a match like this can only create more excitement and help popularize chess a lot more in both countries.
2. Winning the gold medal at the 1988 Olympiad
This was simply and incredible moment in my life as well as in the lives of my sisters. As a matter of fact, it was a big moment for Hungary. There were many meaningful storylines for the Polgar sisters at the 1988 Olympiad.
* This was the first time ever that a non-Soviet team had won the gold medal, ending its dominance of women’s chess.
* This was the first time that 3 sisters had played on the same gold medal winning team.
* We had a very young team with members of the team ranging from 12-19 years of age.
* We went from being the main controversy of the game because of our approach to chess to being loved, admired and adored by millions in Hungary and worldwide.
* This was the first time that the Polgar sisters had competed in the world stage against other women players.
* It also put to rest the ridiculous accusation that the Polgar sisters could not compete against other women players and somehow it is easier to play against men.
My sister Judit won an individual gold medal with the amazing score of 12½/13. She had missed a win against Levitina which would have given her a perfect 13/13 score.
I got an individual bronze on board 1 with the score of 10½/14. We also had strong contributions from my other sister Sophia Polgar and from Ildiko Madl.
We narrowly edged out the Soviet team by the score of 33 to 32½, outdistancing the Yugoslavian team that had finished with 28. Prior to coming to this Olympiad, very few people believed that we could win. After all, Soviet teams have dominated the Women’s Olympiad since its inception. Most people/experts, and even some of our coaches would have been happy with the silver medal.
The three sisters and our parents were the only one who believed we could win. We worked as a team. We cheered each other on. Even though the Soviet team was much stronger than we on paper, this clearly showed what teamwork and confidence could do for the underdog.
I truly hope that our 2004 US Women’s Olympiad Team can follow along the same path. Camaraderie and teamwork can sometimes make up for ELO points. Winning the team gold in 1988 is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. Now that my sisters and I are living on separate continents, we will probably never play on the same Olympiad team together again. But the great memories will live on forever.
1. Becoming the first woman ever to break the gender barrier, earning the Grandmaster title
When I was growing up, Vera Menchik, Lyudmila Rudenko, Yelizavyeta Bykova, Olga Rubtsova, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Maia Chiburdanidze were the names of Women’s World Champions. They were at the top of Women’s Chess in their respective eras. But none of them was able to earn the grandmaster title the traditional way with norm qualifications as their male counterparts had done. Both Gaprindashvili (2 GM norms) and Chiburdanidze (1 GM norm) had some wonderful results against men in their careers; they simply were not able to surpass that threshold.
Gaprindashvili and Chiburdanidze were awarded the grandmaster title for winning the Women’s World Championship although they had never actually fulfilled the qualifications to become grandmasters. I find it interesting that FIDE never went back and awarded the title to the previous four women’s world champions, Vera Menchik, Lyudmila Rudenko, Yelizavyeta Bykova, and Olga Rubtsova.
Most people did not believe that women could compete against men on the same level. Most people could not imagine that a woman could actually be good enough to “earn” the grandmaster title the same way as men do. Since I was brought up differently, it was very important for me to prove otherwise. I believe men and women can compete at the same level in any given tournament even though women’s professional chess careers are usually shorter due to many factors, as I have mentioned in earlier ChessCafe.com articles.
I earned my first grandmaster norm at Royan, France in June/July1988, finishing second in the tournament behind Victor Korchnoi. My second grandmaster norm came in June 1989 when I tied for first with GM J. Pinter at a tournament in Leon, Spain. My third and final grandmaster norm was at Pamplona, Spain between December 1990 to early January 1991 when I took third place behind GM Yudasin and Korchnoi.
Even though I had become the youngest women’s grandmaster in history at that time at the age of 12, my sight was set on the overall grandmaster title. I believe this accomplishment made a very big impact on women’s chess. Someone had finally broken through this gigantic gender barrier. About a year later, my sister Judit became the second woman to “earn” the Grandmaster title and became the world’s youngest grandmaster in history, breaking Bobby Fischer’s record. In 1992, my good friend Pia Cramling of Sweden became the third woman in history to do the same.
Now, it is no longer uncommon for a woman to become a grandmaster. The future generations of women’s players now know that it is possible to do so. I believe that this is one of the biggest accomplishments in women’s chess and therefore this is my number one most memorable moment in my professional chess career, to have become the first woman ever to “earn” the overall grandmaster title.
Susan Zsuzsa Polgar – Jonathan Speelman
Brussels, 1985
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 c5 5. Bxb4 cxb4 6. g3 b6 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. 0–0 0–0 9. Nbd2 d6 10. Re1 Nbd7 11. Qb3 a5 12. e4 e5 13. Qd3 Re8 14. Nh4 Nf8 15. Nf5 g6 16. Ne3 Ne6 17. dxe5 Nc5 18. Qxd6 Nfd7 19. f4 Re6 20. Qd4 Nxe5 21. Qxd8+ Rxd8 22. Nd5 Ned3 23. Reb1 Na4 24. a3 b3 25. Nxb3 Ndxb2 26. Nd4 Ree8 27. e5 Kf8 28. Rc1 Nc5 29. Nb5 Nb3 30. Nd6 Rxd6 31. exd6 Bxd5 32. Bxd5 Nxa1 33. Rxa1 Rd8 34. Rb1 Na4 35. Bc6 Nc3 36. Rxb6 Rxd6 37. Rb8+ Kg7 38. Bf3 Rd3 39. Kg2 Rd2+ 40. Kf1 Na4 41. Rb5 Rc2 42. Rxa5 Rxc4 43. Ra7 Nc3 44. Kf2 Rd4 45. Ke3 Rd8 46. a4 Nd1+ 47. Ke2 Nc3+ 48. Kf1 Rd3 49. Bc6 Rd1+ 50. Kf2 Rd2+ 51. Ke3 Rd6 52. Rc7 Kh6 53. a5 f5 54. a6 Nd1+ 55. Ke2 Nc3+ 56. Kf2 1–0
Susan Zsuzsa Polgar – Murray Chandler
Biel, 1987
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Qb6 5. Nc3 Na6 6. a3 Be7 7. Ne5 cxd4 8. exd4 Qd8 9. Bxa6 bxa6 10. Qf3 d5 11. Nc6 Qb6 12. Nxe7 Kxe7 13. 0–0–0 Qc6 14. Qg3 Rg8 15. Bg5 Bd7 16. Rhe1 h6 17. Bxf6+ gxf6 18. Qf3 Rac8 19. Nxd5+ Kf8 20. Ne3 Qxf3 21. gxf3 Rg5 22. h4 Rh5 23. Rh1 Bc6 24. Rh3 Ke7 25. f4 Be4 26. b3 Rb5 27. Kb2 a5 28. a4 Rb4 29. Rd2 Kf8 30. Rg3 h5 31. Ka3 Rc3 32. Kb2 Rc8 33. Rg1 Rc7 34. Re1 Rc8 35. Rc1 Rc7 36. Ka2 Rc3 37. Re1 Rc7 38. Ka3 Rc3 39. Rg1 Bh7 40. Kb2 Rc8 41. f5 Bxf5 42. Nxf5 exf5 43. Rg3 Rd8 44. c3 Rb7 45. Rf3 Rdb8 46. c4 Rb4 47. Kc2 Kg7 48. Rdd3 Kg6 49. Rg3+ Kh6 50. Rdf3 Rd8 51. d5 Re8 52. Rxf5 Re2+ 53. Kd3 Rb2 54. Rxf6+ Kh7 55. Rxf7+ Kh6 56. Rf6+ Kh7 57. Kd4 1–0
Stuart Conquest – Susan Zsuzsa Polgar
London, 1989
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 e6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. e4 exd5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd5 Qd8 11. Bxc4 (Today, 11. Qc2 is considered more accurate) 11…Nc6 12. 0–0 0–0 13. Re1 Nb6 14. Nxb6 axb6 15. h3 Qe7 16. Qc2 Be6 17. a3 h6 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. Rd3 Rxd3 21. Qxd3 21…Rd8 22. Qe4 b5 23. Kh2 c4 24. Qh4 Re8 25. Nd4 Qd5 26. Nf3 b4 27. Re3 c3 28. bxc3 bxa3 29. Qa4 Qa5 30. Qxa5 Nxa5 31. Re4 b5 32. Re2 Nb3 33. Ra2 Ra8 34. Kg3 Nc1 35. Ra1 Ne2+ 36. Kh2 Nxc3 37. Nd4 b4 38. f4 a2 39. f5 Rd8 40. Nb3 Rd5 41. e6 fxe6 42. fxe6 Re5 43. Kg3 Rxe6 44. Kf3 Ra6 45. Ke3 Ra3 46. Nd2 b3 47. Nc4 Ra8 48. Nb2 Na4 0–1
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December 6, 2013, 12:00 am
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White to move. Can White save this game?
8/8/2p5/4PK2/7b/8/8/2k5 w - - 0 1
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December 5, 2013, 10:01 pm
Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Lines with 3. Nc3Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Lines with 3. Nc3Posted on December 05,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. The French Defense is a fantastic opening to add to your repertoire because it is extremely solid and black should have an easy time of emerging from the early moves with good play in the center. This chess video excerpt from Susan Polgar's chess DVD ¨Master the French, part 3 of 3¨ focuses specifically on all lines of the French Defense starting with 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 - including 3. ..Bb4; 3. ..dxe4; 3. ..Nf6 4. e5; and 3. ..Nf6 4. Bg5. G[...]
Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Tarrasch VariationPosted on November 28,2013 By William in General Chess Articles. The Tarrasch Variation is one of the most common lines against the French Defense, starting with 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 as white protects his pawn on e4 but does not want to allow 3. Nc3 Bb4 - pinning the knight and doubling white's pawns for the rest of the game. However the Tarrasch Variation also has it's drawbacks as white will spend a lot of extra time to complete his development because his knight on d2 will be blocking natural developing[...]
How to Attack like a Grandmaster by GM Damian LemosPosted on November 25,2013 By GM Damian Lemos in General Chess Articles. Many beginner chess players are nervous at the board and this translates into timid play. If you prefer to build a solid position and wait for a mistake by your opponent, you are not playing good chess! If you want to win games, you have to attack your opponent at every chance. You must capitalize on every opportunity to make threats against your opponent and create problems that your opponent will be forced to solve. In this chess video excerpt [...]
Master the French Defense with GM Susan PolgarPosted on November 25,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in General Chess Articles. The French Defense is the perfect opening choice for the beginner and intermediate chess player as it is an extremely solid defense against 1. e4, relying on a clear positional foundation to guide play in the opening and middlegame. The French Defense has been played by countless top players including Mikhail Botvinnik, Ulf Andersson, Vassily Ivanchuk, Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, etc.. so it is clear that this is an opening you can play thro[...]
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 shop with tons of free updated previews.
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December 6, 2013, 3:00 am
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December 6, 2013, 6:00 am
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December 6, 2013, 10:00 am
Penang to host world-class chess tourney
By Predeep Nambiar
GEORGE TOWN: Penang will host the nation's biggest chess tournament, the Penang Heritage City International Open at the Red Rock Hotel here from Dec 9.
The World Chess Association rated five-day tourney will see over 300 chess players from 17 countries competing to snap up cash prizes worth RM27,750.
Penang Chess Association president Lee Ewe Ghee said the event, in its fifth year running, had grown in size in terms of quality and quantity.
"The event will provide local players, especially from Penang, the opportunity to play chess with players from all over the world and gain the necessary experience and exposure.
"Many players are also getting their personal strength rated by FIDE through this tournament," he said in a press conference.
International master Kvon Andrey of Uzbekistan and grand master Alexandre Forminyh are some of the star players who have confirmed their attendance for the event.
Source: http://www.nst.com.my
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December 6, 2013, 11:10 am
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December 6, 2013, 12:30 pm
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December 6, 2013, 1:45 pm
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Magnus knows how to psyche his opponent out’
“Magnus has mastered the endgame like nobody else,” says Simen Agdestein, who played a key role in shaping the World champion’s chess career. By P.K. Ajith Kumar.
Simen Agdestein has some trouble while speaking. He has a bigger trouble chewing. “I need some food, maybe you could suggest something soft,” he says when Sportstar meets him at Hyatt Regency, a day after he arrives in Chennai; he had wanted to come earlier, but a nasty fall during the European team chess championship in Warsaw left him with a dislocated jaw.
“I am feeling much better and am glad I could make it at least now,” says Agdestein, the world’s only Grandmaster (GM) who has scored a goal in international football.
Agdestein, who has played a crucial role in shaping Magnus Carlsen as the World chess champion, arrived in time to see his former ward winning Game Nine, which settled the World Championship more or less. He believes Carlsen triumphed in Chennai because he was psychologically stronger than Viswanathan Anand.
“There wasn’t much difference in the chess between the two at the World Championship,” says the 46-year-old. “But Anand gave too much respect to Magnus. When you do that, you become unsure of yourself. And Magnus knew it, and took advantage. He knows how to psyche his opponent out. He uses psychology over the chessboard, much like former World champion Emmanuel Lasker.”
He is not surprised at all to see Carlsen winning the World Championship. “When I first began training Magnus at the Norwegian College of Elite Sport, I could sense that he was a special talent,” he says.
It was Agdestein who introduced chess at the institute, just in time for a nine-year-old Magnus to enroll. “There probably would have been no Magnus Carlsen,” says Lief Johannesen, another top Norwegian GM. “Norwegian chess owes a lot to Agdestein for his vision.”
Agdestein’s vision also reflects in Carlsen’s game. “I had told Magnus that the next World champion would have to be exceptional in the endgame,” he says. “I felt Garry Kasparov had achieved with computer analysis that no player could have surpassed. So I thought the future World champions will have to play chess more practically, much less with the aid of computers. Magnus has been doing that and yes, he has mastered the endgame like nobody else.”
He believes Carlsen could dominate world chess for a long time. “I think as a player he comes closest to Fischer,” he says. “But Fischer could not dominate world chess for a considerable time because he had problems controlling his mind. Magnus, on the other hand, is very level-headed. He has the talent and the will to dominate the sport for a very long time.”
He says he wasn’t, in a way, surprised to see Anand crumbling against Magnus. “I have always felt Anand is a bit nervous,” he says. “He was even more nervous than usual here against Magnus.”
Agdestein has watched from close quarters Anand’s ascendancy too. He was the top seed of the 1987 World junior chess championship in Baguio, Philippines. “I was the top seed and was the runner-up at the previous World juniors,” he says. “So I was confident of winning the title.”
But, Anand upset him and all his plans, as the Indian emerged the World junior champion and soon became one of the hottest names in international chess. If Carlsen’s life was a Hollywood movie, Agdestein would have plotted his revenge right after that shattering loss to Anand.
Maybe the Carlsen story would have worked better in Bollywood, because his manager is Espen Agdestein, brother of Simen.
Agdestein was already a Grandmaster when he played in that World junior championship. But he was even more passionate about football.
“Yes, it was quite a challenge to be of world class in both chess and football at the same time, but I managed to do that for a few years,” says Agdestein, who has scored a goal for Norway in an international match. “I also played for my country in the World Cup qualifiers. My club was Lyn, Oslo.”
A knee injury curtailed his football ambitions. He is still going strong in chess though. With an Elo rating of 2627, he is ranked second only to Carlsen in Norway. A couple of months ago, he won the Oslo International GM tournament.
He is also an author of chess books, including a biography of Carlsen. He plays the piano too and was a contestant in a dance competition on Norwegian television. And he is a teacher at Valler Upper Secondary School, Sandvika, Norway.
“I have to hurry a bit now, as I have to write a column,” says Agdestein. You are unlikely to meet too many men with talents in so many fields.
Source: http://www.sportstaronnet.com
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December 6, 2013, 3:00 pm
Russia wins World Team Chess Championship
Thursday, 05 December 2013 08:58www.fide.com
With the closing ceremony today, 2013 World Team Chess Championship has come to an end. With a quite fine dinner, your reporter must confess.
After the speeches given by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and TCF President Gulkiz Tulay in which they basically underlined the organizational successes of Turkish Chess Federation, the special dinner was eaten at the ceremony hall and who can say no to a few drinks after such an exhausting competition? As you can guess practically no one did. When finally players got full and a little chill, it was time to give the cups and medals the successful teams and players deserved. Of course Ukraine and China were happy too about getting third and second places but Russians as winners had the most fun obviously. Especially Sasha Grischuk, as you can see from the photos. The Russian coach Dokhoian, who had quite a few nervous moments in the championship found himself finally relaxed and flying in the air when all Russian team were present on the stage. Congratulations guys! Well done, it was time to remind everyone that Russia still is the leading chess country in the world.
Also congratulations to China and Ukraine and all the other teams who have participated! Things didn't go well this time for the Armenian team who got used to winning almost everything in the last years and they were not in the best mood but one can be sure that this is just one tournament off and the super strong Armenian national team will continue to shine. As a consolation however world number 2, Levon Aronian, got the gold medal on first board with his wonderful performance. Special congratulations to Levon, who was always willing to spend some time for chess fans around the world by commentating upon his games; just like another legend, Vladimir Kramnik. A personal thanks for their kindness!
So the World Team Chess Championship is over and it's finally time to go back to real life after the magical atmosphere of top-level chess. See you all at another beautiful show of illusion on sixty-four squares and greetings from Antalya for the last time, at least for this year! May the Caissa be with you, like she has been with Russians for the last two weeks!
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December 6, 2013, 3:51 pm
Polgar sisters with Webster University President Dr. Beth Stroble
A few months ago, world's #1 Magnus Carlsen visited Webster University. Today, my sisters Judit and Sofia came to visit SPICE at Webster. Judit played a few fun blitz games with the reigning World Blitz Champion, and Webster University freshman, GM Le Quang Liem We also had another special guest at Webster today, Ken Clayton (blue blazer), the 4th AfricanAmerican inthe US to break 2200.
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December 6, 2013, 4:00 pm
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Magnus Carlsen raises profile of chess after winning the world title
Leonard Barden
The Guardian, Friday 6 December 2013 11.48 EST
If chess hopes to count as sport, Magnus Carlsen is doing his best to make it happen. The new world champion, who is a Real Madrid supporter, was invited by the club to perform a ceremonial kick-off at last weekend's 4-0 win against Real Valladolid, and was photographed with Gareth Bale who scored a hat-trick.
Carlsen is in London on Saturday when the annual Classic, the UK's strongest chess event, gets under way at Olympia. Alas, he is not competing this year and his presence is owing to a photoshoot for his new male model campaign with G-Star Raw.
He returns to competitive action next month at the six-grandmaster Zurich elite tournament, which has a novel format. There are five rounds of classical chess, then a one-day rapidplay with colours reversed.
Scoring will be win two points, draw one point in classical and half that in rapid, with the overall best scorer declared the tournament winner.
Full article here.
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December 6, 2013, 6:00 pm
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‘It is exciting to see that chess is becoming big back home’
“Because of Anand’s emergence as the World champion, several young players took up the sport in India, which is a strong nation in chess today, and I hope Carlsen has a similar effect in Norway,” says Joran Jansson, president of the Norwegian Chess Federation, in a chat with P.K. Ajith Kumar.
Joran Jansson used to play chess with Henrik Carlsen at the same club in Norway. So he has been following the progress of Henrik’s son, Magnus, with interest for a long time. He caught a flight to Chennai to watch Magnus being crowned the World champion, not just as his father’s friend, but as the president of the Norwegian Chess Federation.
“I wanted to be here in Chennai to witness the greatest moment in history for Norwegian chess, and Norwegian sport, in fact,” Jansson told Sportstar at Hyatt Regency on the day Carlsen won the World Championship. “It is exciting to see that chess is becoming big back home.”
He is hoping Carlsen would do to Norway what Viswanathan Anand did to India. “Because of Anand’s emergence as the World champion, several young players took up the sport in India, which is a strong nation in chess today, and I hope Carlsen has a similar effect in Norway,” he says.
“Already, there are some promising signs. Chessboards were sold out in Oslo once the World Championship got underway here.” He said the viewership of the World Championship was even larger than that of winter sports. “And that is something which didn’t happen before, as winter sports are hugely popular back home,” he says. “As much as 20 per cent of the population was watching some of the World Championship games. And we had chess on the front page in our newspapers.”
Henrik Carlsen, Father of Magnus. "He (Magnus) has a very supportive, understanding family," says Joran Jansson.
He says Carlsen succeeded not just because of his natural talent. “He has a very supportive, understanding family,” he says. “His father Henrik and I used to play for the same club, you know. Carlsen is also lucky that he has got the best people to guide him, like his manager Espen Agdestein.”
Jansson says already more children have started playing in Norway because of Carlsen. “Of course our population of five million is much smaller than India’s, but there are possibilities of new champions coming from Norway because of the Carlsen effect,” he says.
He is also looking forward to returning the favour — hosting Anand in Norway. “It would be great to have Anand for the Norway Super Tournament in June, 2014,” he says.
Norway is also hosting the Chess Olympiad next year. It will be held at Tromso, Carlsen’s birthplace.
Source: http://www.sportstaronnet.com
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December 6, 2013, 6:30 pm
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White to move. How should White proceed?
Guseinov, G (2650) - Ezat, M (2425) (38th Olympiad Dresden GER (10), 2008)
5nr1/pr2bk1p/6p1/4Rp2/1q3N2/2Q5/PPPB1P1P/2KR4 w - - 0 25
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December 6, 2013, 10:01 pm
Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Lines with 3. Nc3Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Lines with 3. Nc3Posted on December 05,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. The French Defense is a fantastic opening to add to your repertoire because it is extremely solid and black should have an easy time of emerging from the early moves with good play in the center. This chess video excerpt from Susan Polgar's chess DVD ¨Master the French, part 3 of 3¨ focuses specifically on all lines of the French Defense starting with 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 - including 3. ..Bb4; 3. ..dxe4; 3. ..Nf6 4. e5; and 3. ..Nf6 4. Bg5. G[...]
Susan Polgar Explains the French Defense, Tarrasch VariationPosted on November 28,2013 By William in General Chess Articles. The Tarrasch Variation is one of the most common lines against the French Defense, starting with 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 as white protects his pawn on e4 but does not want to allow 3. Nc3 Bb4 - pinning the knight and doubling white's pawns for the rest of the game. However the Tarrasch Variation also has it's drawbacks as white will spend a lot of extra time to complete his development because his knight on d2 will be blocking natural developing[...]
How to Attack like a Grandmaster by GM Damian LemosPosted on November 25,2013 By GM Damian Lemos in General Chess Articles. Many beginner chess players are nervous at the board and this translates into timid play. If you prefer to build a solid position and wait for a mistake by your opponent, you are not playing good chess! If you want to win games, you have to attack your opponent at every chance. You must capitalize on every opportunity to make threats against your opponent and create problems that your opponent will be forced to solve. In this chess video excerpt [...]
Master the French Defense with GM Susan PolgarPosted on November 25,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in General Chess Articles. The French Defense is the perfect opening choice for the beginner and intermediate chess player as it is an extremely solid defense against 1. e4, relying on a clear positional foundation to guide play in the opening and middlegame. The French Defense has been played by countless top players including Mikhail Botvinnik, Ulf Andersson, Vassily Ivanchuk, Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, etc.. so it is clear that this is an opening you can play thro[...]
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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December 7, 2013, 3:00 am
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December 7, 2013, 5:30 am
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