US Chess Championships, Round 1

The action got a running start today as the majority of the first-round battles at the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship produced a clear victor.

Half of the men’s games and 80 percent of the ladies’ skirmishes gave decisive results, kicking off nine rounds of chess at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Two notable upsets highlighted the U.S. Championship in the opening round. A pair of tournament rookies, IM Kayden Troff and GM Conrad Holt, both defeated their higher-ranked grandmaster opponents.

Other winners included three-time champion GM Gata Kamsky, who had white but chose not to play the Torre Attack for the third straight game against GM Alex Shabalov.

Another tournament favorite and colorful personality that fans wanted to see was GM Timur Gareev. Though seeded second, he played his first-ever U.S. Championship game, taking black against fellow newbie GM Marc Arnold.

Gareev had no problem dispatching his younger opponent, as there were too many open lines aiming at white’s king.

Full report on the official website

Thessaloniki confirmed for FIDE Grand Prix

Chessdom were first to cautiously hint that the next FIDE Grand Prix event will take place in Thessaloniki from 22nd May.

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov now officially confirmed that the tournament will be in Greece.

The event was supposed to take place in Madrid, but following the disaster with Lisbon, AGON once again failed to provide the sponsorship.

Their failure might turn out to the good if the Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savidis, who is paying for the tournament in Thessaloniki, will be happy with the PR results and hence continues to support chess.

Paris wants WCC match between Anand and Carlsen

ChessDailyNews reveals that the Mayor of Paris Mr. Bertrand Delanoe wrote to FIDE to support the French Chess Federation in its aim to organize the World Chess Championship Match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.

The French Chess Federation apparently sent an offer to FIDE that includes 2,65 million EUR for the match prize fund, 800,000 EUR contribution to FIDE budget and an additional amount for the media coverage.

The Mayor states that "the city of Paris welcomes the French Chess Federation initiative" and "is happy to give its whole hearted support to FFE to successfully carry out the project."

"Paris is the city where FIDE was born and ever since, chess has been part of our cultural heritage.", the Mayor concluded.

Norway issues formal complaint to FIDE

The Norwegian Chess Federation has written to FIDE on the issue of the venue of the upcoming World Chess Championship match between Viswanthan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.

The letter has also been made public in order to try and halt what seems an almost unstoppable momentum within FIDE towards awarding the match to Chennai without a bidding process.

FIDE seem to be honouring an agreement to give India first option on hosting the match in the wake of awarding Gelfand-Anand to Moscow. Carlsen and his representatives say "it is not clear that FIDE has the right to grant Chennai an option." They are calling for FIDE to "facilitate a procedure that enables other interested parties to bid for the event".

Full letter on The Week in Chess website

Women's World Championship Match 2013

Chessdom announced that the Women’s World Championship Match 2013 between the reigning World Champion Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and her challenger Hou Yifan (China) will be organized by the FIDE and Chinese Chess Association on 10-27 September 2013, in the city of Taizhou, China.

The winner of the FWWCM 2013 will be declared Women’s World Champion for the period 2013-2014. Hou Yifan, who already was World Champion on 2010-2012, qualified from the FIDE Women’s Grand-Prix 2011-2012.

The match will consist of 10 classical games and if necessary, tie-break games. The time control will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

The prize fund is at least 200,000 EUR net.

Geneva Women Grand Prix LIVE

The first leg of the new cycle of FIDE Women's Grand-Prix 2013-2014, which will give qualification to the Women’s World Championship Match 2015, is being held in Geneva on 3-15th May under sponsorship by Neva Foundation.

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

US Chess Championships LIVE

The 2013 U.S. Championship and 2013 U.S. Women’s Championship are being held simultaneously from May 2 through May 13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

Levon Aronian Wins Alekhine Memorial

The games of the last round of the Alekhine Memorial were played on 1st May in St. Petersburg.

Levon Aronian and Boris Gelfand shared the first place with 5.5 points each. The Armenian Grandmaster had a better tie-break score and was awarded the top prize. The Israeli Grandmaster took the second place.

The reigning World Champion Vishy Anand finished third with 5 points.

The prize for a game in Alekhine's style was given to Laurent Fressinet, who defeated Vladimir Kramnik in Paris.

The best combination prize went to Ding Liren for his victory against the future tournament winner.

Boris Gelfand received the best technique prize, and Nikita Vitiugov got the last special prize for the best play during the St. Petersburg half of the tournament.

Resuts of the round 9: Aronian – Vachier-Lagrave 1-0, Adams – Kramnik 0-1, Gelfand – Anand, Vitiugov – Ding Liren, Svidler – Fressinet draws.

The final standings. 1-2. Aronian and Gelfand – both 5.5; 3. Anand – 5; 4-8. Adams, Vitiugov, Fressinet, Kramnik, and Vachier-Lagrave – all 4.5; 9. Ding Liren – 3.5; 10. Svidler – 3.

Stavanger Open NGP 2013

Stavanger Chess Club invites all Norwegian and international chess players to participate in Stavanger Open NGP 2013.

The tournament will be held in comfortable and suitable playing facilities at Scandic Stavanger Forus Hotel from Wednesday 8th of May to Sunday 12th of May.

Stavanger Open NGP 2013 will be played with one round on each day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and two rounds on Saturday, for a total of 6 rounds. The prize fund is about 6500 EUR.

The playing schedule will be accommodated to the main tournament of Norway Chess, enabling the participants to watch and follow the games of Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the world elite live.

All participants in Stavanger Open will have free entrance to the main tournament of Norway Chess. Registration with Carsten Beer Jacobsen, cassabaa@yahoo.com.

Top rated players: GM Arturs Neiksans LAT 2532, IM Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury IND 2472, IM Swayangsu Satyapragyan IND 2472, IM Vladimir Hamitevici MDA 2444, IM Vadims Daskevics LAT 2443, IM Atle Grønn NOR 2386, IM Dinesh K. Sharma IND 2378, IM Øystein Hole NOR 2367, IM Erik Fossan NOR 2363, FM Toms Kantans LAT 2356, IM Nicolai Getz NOR 2352 etc

9th Chess Tournament Gazi-Heraklion

Chess Academy of GAZI, Organization of Athletics of Municipality of Maleviziou, Municipality of Maleviziou, Organization of Athletics of Municipality of Heraklion and Hotel Dolphin Bay organize the 9th International Chess Tournament Gazi-Heraklion from 27th July to 3rd August in Ammoudara Gaziou, Crete, Greece.

FIDE rated swiss system in 9 rounds. Open to all chess players. Prizes 3000 EUR.

More information
Tel.: (+30) 6972262486, Charalampos Stefanatos
Fax: (+30) 2810821029
E-mail: stefanatos@gazichess.gr
Http: www.gazichess.gr