2nd Copa Latinoamericana de Ajedrez

The 2nd Copa Latinoamericana de Ajedrez will be held from 1st to 6th November at the Torre de las Comunicaciones in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The tournament will have 213 players from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Among them are 19 Grandmasters, 14 International Masters and 18 FIDE Masters.

Top seeded is GM Lazaro Bruzon from Cuba, who recently played in good shape at the World Chess Cup. Eduardo Iturrizaga is back in action, after missing the Magistral Casino de Barcelona due to car accident.

Top Argentina players are also competing, while Peru is represented by the Cori siblings. Deysi T Cori is the reigning World Junior Girls Champion.

More information

Memorial Filippo Vetro on Sicily

The 4th Festival Internazionale di Scacchi "I Dioscuri" - Memorial Filippo Vetro is hosted by the ACSD Leonardo from 4th to 6th November in Agrigento on Sicily, Italy.

The tournament venue is at the Hotel Tre Torri - Viale Cannatello Villaggio Mosè SS115. The prize fund is € 4.300.

Time control is 90' + 30", five rounds Swiss will be played.

Top players are GM Janev Evgeni BUL 2511, GM Meijers Viesturs LAT 2471, WGM Sudakova Irina RUS 2350, IM Sotsky Alexander RUS 2410 and FM Mazzilli Piero ITA 2354.

82nd FIDE Congress in Krakow

FIDE held its 82nd Congress in Krakow between the 20th and 21st of October 2011, hosted by the Malopolska Chess Federation.

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced that he had gained sponsorship of $1,000,000 per year for the next three years for the various Chess in Schools projects. He also added that Rapid and Blitz ratings will be calculated from 1st January 2012.

David Jarrett had resigned as FIDE Executive Director and is now appointed as an Honorary Member of FIDE. Nigel Freeman is the new Executive Director.

Three new members - Comoros Islands, Guam and Swaziland - were elected.

The contract between FIDE and the Tromso Organising Committee for the 2014 Olympiad was signed.

The World Youth Championships 2013 were awarded to Al Ain, UAE and those for 2014 to Durban, South Africa. The World Amateur Championship 2013 was awarded to Iasi, Romania and the World Cities 2012 was awarded to Al Ain, UAE.

Interview with Yasser Seirawan

Interview by Anna Matnadze for Chessdom.com. More interviews from Magistral de Barcelona and other events in the interview section.

Hello Mr. Seirawan, welcome to Barcelona. Could you please, describe to us your preparation process for the Magistral Casino Tournament? What chess analyzing program do you use?

Thank you very much. It is a pleasure to have been in sunny Barcelona as I live in Amsterdam where it was windy and chilly when I left. I use three programs Rybka, Fritz 12 and Houdini. I like Houdini best.
The majority of the players in Barcelona were unknown for me. My preparations were mostly to review their most recent games (last two/three years) and to get a feel for their style of play. What types of positions they excell in and to see if they have favorite openings that I like to play as well.

Whom were you expecting to be the most difficult opponent? Are you happy with your play here? Which was the best and the worst game and why?

Again as I wasn’t familiar with the players. Before the start I thought that Smirin was the clear favorite.
Overall, I’m satisfied with my play. It was consistent.
My game with Smirin was my worst for sure as I made a howler (a bad blunder) when I missed his Nf4-d5 stroke, which wins on the spot.

My best game was versus Peralta. We played a main line Pirc and I played a very powerful strategic idea Nc3-b5, which my computer doesn’t find but gives me a long-term advantage of the two Bishops. I kept a grip on the position and played very well throughout. Really, Fernando was never given a chance to get into the game.

Read the full interview with Yasser Seirawan

GM Ghaem Maghami refuses to play Israeli FM Ehud Shachar, organizers exclude him from the tournament

Iran chess champion GM Ghaem Maghami refused to play against the Israeli FM Ehud Shachar in the round four of the Corsica Masters.

The organizer Leo Battesti explains:

The Iranian Grand Master Ehsan Maghami Gahem informed me of his refusal to play against his opponent of the fourth round, the Israeli Fide Master Ehud Shachar.

I told Mr. Ghaem Maghami that as an organizer of a sporting International competition, I could not accede to his request to change the pairings, for him to play against another player.

The presence of five Israeli players in this tournament is known by all participants since Saturday, October 22. It honors our competition as well as the presence of Iranian players and about thirty other nationalities.

The motto of our Federation is Gens una sumus, we develop in Corsica awareness of the positive aspects of chess sport on our youth, being complicity of any form of segregation would be unworthy, and in total contradiction with the foundations of our sport action.

So regretfully I have to exclude the player who unfortunately has persisted in his choice, inspite of my imprecations. I regret it. But I could not escape from our responsibilities.

Ivan Salgado winner of Ciutat de Barcelona

GM Ivan Salgado is the winner of the 2011 edition of the Ciutat de Barcelona chess tournament. The young grandmaster finished with 5,5/10, the same points as GM Yasser Seirawan, but better tiebreak.

Third position was for GM Kevin Spraggett, while the rating favorite GM Eduardo Iturrizaga did not participate due to a car accident.

The next event for Ivan Salgado is the European Team Chess Championship, where he will play for Spain with GM Shirov, GM Vallejo, GM Illescas, and GM Arizmendi.

Nalchik FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011

The 3rd Women's Grand Prix of the 2011-12 series took place in Nalchik, Russia, Sunday 9th - Friday 21st Oct 2011. Zhao Xue put together a truly amazing performance starting with 9.5/10 before somewhat spoiling things losing a game where she stood slightly better as black against Ju Wenjun who took clear second place. Zhao Xue is 26 but this looks like a huge leap forward for her.

Alexander Morozevich Wins Saratov Governor's Cup

The Saratov Governor's Cup took place from 8th to 19th October in Saratov, Russia, as a 12-players round robin event.

Alexander Morozevich won convincingly with 8.5 points, full point and a half ahead of Evgeny Tomashevsky.

Final standings:
1. Alexander Morozevich RUS 2737 - 8.5
2. Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2710 - 7.0
3. Peter Leko HUN 2728 - 6.5
4. Evgeny Alekseev RUS 2662 - 6.0
5. Alexei Shirov ESP 2713 - 5.5
6-9. Michael Roiz ISR 2668, Alexander Moiseenko UKR 2726, Ruslan Ponomariov UKR 2758 and Pavel Eljanov UKR 2683 - 5.0
10. Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2726 - 4.5 (9)
11-12. Dmitry Andreikin RUS 2705 and Ni Hua CHN 2670 - 4.0

Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship was held from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players competed in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

Top seeded Wang Yue and former Asia champion and Anand's second Ganguly Surya Shekhar played a draw on the first board, while 3rd seed and Universiade champion Li Chao b defeated Sandro Mareco and joined Ganguly on the shared first place. Li Chao b takes the winner's trophy on better tie-break score.

In the other games Oliver Barbosa held the famous Alexey Dreev to a draw with black pieces. In the Philippines' derby Wesley So beat GM-elect Richard Bitoon to secure a shared 3rd place.

Full standings bellow (click "Read more")

Corsican Chess Circuit 2011 Video

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 8

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship is taking place from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players compete in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

In the Tuesday afternoon round top Chinese players Li Chao b and Wang Yue signed a draw on the first board, while former Asia champion and Anand's second Ganguly Surya Shekhar defeated Vladislav Tkachiev to overtake the lead with 6.5 points from eight games.

Oliver Barbosa (Philippines), Wang Yue, Li Chao b, Sandro Mareco (Argentina) and Alexey Dreev (Russia) are close behind with 6 points each.

Full round 8 standings and round 9 pairings are posted bellow (Click on "Read more"). The last round takes place Wednesday 14:00 local time.

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

Zhao Xue secures victory in Nalchik Grand Prix

After the impressive run in the first eight rounds of the Nalchik FIDE Grand Prix GM Zhao Xue secured the first place with three rounds to go. The inspired Chinese player collected 7.5 points to create a three points margin ahead of the nearest follower.

In a rarely seen distribution of places on the crosstable, Ju Wenjun, also from China, is clear second with 4.5 points ie 50% score! There follows a huge tie with seven players on the shared third place with 4 points each.

Full report

Zhao Xue

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 7

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship is taking place from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players compete in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

The Monday leaders GM Oliver Barbosa of Philippines and top seeded GM Wang Yue of China made a draw on the first board and preserved the top positions, where they are now joined by a larger group of players.

Grandmasters Ganguly Surya Shekhar, Vladislav Tkachiev, Li Chao b and Sandro Mareco all won in the 7th round and caught up on the shared first place with 5.5 points each.

The 8th round takes place16:30 local time.

Round 7 standings:
1-6. GM Barbosa Oliver PHI 2538, GM Wang Yue CHN 2716, GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar IND 2631, GM Tkachiev Vladislav FRA 2631, GM Li Chao b CHN 2710 and GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2597 - 5.5
7-11. GM Megaranto Susanto INA 2530, GM So Wesley PHI 2655, GM Dreev Aleksey RUS 2711, IM Bitoon Richard PHI 2504 and IM Ahmadinia Ebrahim IRI 2430 - 5.0
12-22. IM Nguyen Van Huy VIE 2449, GM Kotanjian Tigran ARM 2546, GM Paragua Mark PHI 2533, GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2493, GM Gomez John Paul PHI 2514, GM Cao Sang VIE 2529, GM Antonio Rogelio Jr PHI 2564, GM Fier Alexander BRA 2583, GM Laylo PHI 2534, WGM Pokorna Regina SVK 2359 and GM Zhao Jun CHN 2587 - 4.5 etc

Round 8 top pairings:
GM Li Chao b 2710 - GM Wang Yue 2716
GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2631 - GM Tkachiev Vladislav 2631
GM Mareco Sandro 2597 - GM Barbosa Oliver 2538
IM Ahmadinia Ebrahim 2430 - GM Dreev Aleksey 2711
GM Megaranto Susanto 2530 - IM Bitoon Richard 2504
GM Antonio Rogelio Jr 2564 - GM So Wesley 2655
GM Gomez John Paul 2514 - GM Zhao Jun 2587
GM Dao Thien Hai 2493 - GM Fier Alexander 2583
GM Kotanjian Tigran 2546 - GM Cao Sang 2529
GM Laylo 2534 WGM - Pokorna Regina 2359
IM Nguyen Van Huy 2449 - GM Paragua Mark 2533

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 6

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship is taking place from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players compete in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

Top seeded Wang Yue of China defeated GM Vladislav Tkachiev in the 6th round and moved ahead in the rankings to share the first place with GM Oliver Barbosa. Meanwhile, Barbosa drew with Li Chao b.

Ten players, including Wesley So, Tigran Kotanjian and Indonesia's hope Susanto Megaranto, are on tied 3rd place with 4.5 points each.

Tuesday will have double round, starting at 9:30 and 16:30 local time.

Round 6 standings:
1-2. GM Wang Yue CHN 2716 and GM Barbosa Oliver PHI 2538 - 5.0
3-12. GM Tkachiev Vladislav FRA 2631, GM Li Chao b CHN 2710, GM So Wesley PHI 2655, GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar IND 2631, IM Nguyen Van Huy VIE 2449, GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2597, GM Megaranto Susanto INA 2530, GM Kotanjian Tigran ARM 2546, GM Fier Alexander BRA 2583 and GM Laylo PHI 2534 - 4.5
13-21. GM Dreev Aleksey RUS 2711, GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2493, IM Bitoon Richard PHI 2504, GM Shabalov Alexander USA 2529, GM Cao Sang VIE 2529, IM Ahmadinia Ebrahim IRI 2430, GM Antonio Rogelio Jr PHI 2564, GM Moradiabadi Elshan IRI 2549 and GM Torre Eugenio PHI 2520 - 4.0 etc

Round 7 top pairings:
GM Barbosa Oliver 2538 - GM Wang Yue 2716
GM Li Chao b 2710 - GM Kotanjian Tigran 2546
GM So Wesley 2655 - GM Megaranto Susanto 2530
GM Fier Alexander 2583 - GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2631
GM Tkachiev Vladislav 2631 - GM Laylo 2534
GM Mareco Sandro 2597 - IM Nguyen Van Huy 2449
GM Dreev Aleksey 2711 - GM Torre Eugenio 2520
GM Cao Sang 2529 - GM Antonio Rogelio Jr 2564
GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2549 - IM Ahmadinia Ebrahim 2430
IM Bitoon Richard 2504 - GM Shabalov Alexander 2529
IM Grigoryan Karen H. 2473 - GM Dao Thien Hai 2493

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 5

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship is taking place from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players compete in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

Saturday was a rest day and then a double round was played on Sunday. Grandmasters Vladislav Tkachiev and Oliver Barbosa remain in the joint lead with 4.5 points each. Wesley So and top seeded Wang Yue are in the group that follows half a point behind.

Round 5 standings:
1-2. GM Tkachiev Vladislav FRA 2631 and GM Barbosa Oliver PHI 2538 - 4.5
3-10. GM So Wesley PHI 2655, GM Wang Yue CHN 2716, IM Nguyen Van Huy VIE 2449, GM Li Chao b CHN 2710, GM Megaranto Susanto INA 2530, GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2597, GM Kotanjian Tigran ARM 2546 and GM Fier Alexander BRA 2583 - 4.0
11-16. GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2493, GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar IND 2631, Surya Wahyudi INA 2255, GM Paragua Mark PHI 2533, GM Moradiabadi Elshan IRI 2549 and GM Laylo PHI 2534 - 3.5 etc

Round 6 top pairings:
GM Wang Yue 2716 - GM Tkachiev Vladislav 2631
GM Barbosa Oliver 2538 - GM Li Chao b 2710
GM Kotanjian Tigran 2546 - GM So Wesley 2655
GM Megaranto Susanto 2530 - GM Mareco Sandro 2597
IM Nguyen Van Huy 2449 - GM Fier Alexander 2583
GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2631 - GM Paragua Mark 2533
GM Dao Thien Hai 2493 - GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2549
GM Laylo 2534 - Surya Wahyudi 2255
FM Wahono Awam 2379 - GM Dreev Aleksey 2711
GM Antonio Rogelio Jr 2564 - FM Kasmiran 2369

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

V Festival Internacional de Ajedrez

The V Festival Internacional de Ajedrez is taking place from 13th to 17th October at the Universidad Central in Bogota, Colombia. 202 players from 24 countries compete.

Round 4 standings: 1-6. GM Alvarez Pedraza Aramis CUB 2544, GM Garcia Gildardo ANT 2393, IM Pozo Vera Sandro CUB 2488, GM Barrientos Sergio E COL 2507, FM Zuluaga Cesar CAL 2343 and GM Abreu Aryam CUB 2490 - 4.0; 7-15. IM Mosquera Miguel COL 2392, IM Arenas David COL 2426, FM Ruiz Alciguel COL 2194, IM Gomez Camilo CUB 2533, GM Ortiz Suarez Isan Reynaldo CUB 2555, GM Perez Rodriguez Luis Manuel CUB 2479, Torres Juan Camilo CAL 2259, GM Gonzalez Vidal Yuri CUB 2556 and Cespedes Jaime TOL 2205 - 3.5 etc

Round 5 pairings: IM Pozo Vera Sandro 2488 - GM Alvarez Pedraza Aramis 2544, GM Garcia Gildardo 2393 - GM Barrientos Sergio E 2507, GM Abreu Aryam 2490 - FM Zuluaga Cesar 2343, GM Gonzalez Vidal Yuri 2556 - IM Arenas David 2426, FM Ruiz Alciguel 2194 - GM Ortiz Suarez Isan Reynaldo 2555, IM Gomez Camilo 2533 - Cespedes Jaime 2205, Torres Juan Camilo 2259 - GM Perez Rodriguez Luis Manuel 2479 etc

Chess board in the Real Madrid Museum

The organizers of the Oliver Gonzalez Memorial took the participants to a Santiago Bernabéu stadium tour.

IM David Larino checked the chess sets in the museum of Real Madrid.

Alexander Morozevich interviewed in Saratov

Sergey Skvoznyakov and Alexey Vetrov interviewed Alexander Morozevich, the convincing leader of the Saratov Governor's Cup. Excerpt bellow, full interview here (in Russian).

Q: How did you become a coach in Qatar? On whose initiative? Unless, of course, it's a secret.

A: No no, it's not a secret. The invitation came from the Qatari Olympic Committee. There was a vacancy for the coaching position, and I was in specific mood: not ready yet to play chess, but just sitting at home would be boring. I needed something in between, and so I accepted the call.

Q: Do you think the Russian national team should be permanent, or rotation of the players is desirable?

A: Rotation is possible. But, in my opinion, there should be a balance in including young players together with the more experienced members.

Q: In this case, what do you think about following scenario: the strongest lineup to be sent to the Chess Olympiad and World Championships, and in the European Championship to have the young, promising players competing in order to prepare them for the future?

A: First of all, this is a question for the management of the Russian Chess Federation. But personally, I believe that Russia is not spoiled by the great number of medals, so the European Championship should not be regarded as a training ground. There are that many good tournaments, and the young and talented guys have a lot of opportunities to gain experience.

5th SPICE Cup starting today

The 5th annual SPICE Cup, the highest rated international RR invitational tournament in U.S. history, will take place in Lubbock, Texas.

There will be an additional section this year. In addition to the A group (6 players DRR category 17) and B group (10 player RR category 10), there will be a C group (10 player RR category 8).

The 2011 SPICE Cup A group will take place on October 15-25. The B and C group will take place on October 15-19. The FIDE Amateur Rated Open will take place on October 21-23. All sections will once again be held on the beautiful campus of Texas Tech University.

Live games / Susan Polgar website

Bilbao Grand Slam Final Video

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 3

The 2011 Indonesia Open Chess Championship is taking place from 13th to 19th October at the Le Meredien Hotel in Jakarta. 80 players compete in the 9-round Swiss tournament.

The generous prize fund amounts to 55.500 USD, with 10.000 USD reserved for the winner.

After three round of play, Grandmasters Tkachiev, Barbosa and Li Chao are leading the standings with 3 points each.

Round 3 results:
GM Cao Sang 2529 - GM Li Chao b 2710 0 - 1
IM Bitoon Richard 2504 - GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2631 ½ - ½
GM Tkachiev Vladislav 2631 - GM Megaranto Susanto 2530 1 - 0
IM Purnama Tirta Chandra 2368 - GM Mareco Sandro 2597 ½ - ½
GM Barbosa Oliver 2538 - FM Wahono Awam 2379 1 - 0
FM Kasmiran 2369 - GM Wang Yue 2716 0 - 1
GM Dreev Aleksey 2711 - IM Nguyen Van Huy 2449 ½ - ½
GM So Wesley 2655 - GM Dao Thien Hai 2493 ½ - ½
IM Grigoryan Karen H. 2473 - GM Zhao Jun 2587 1 - 0
GM Paragua Mark 2533 - WFM Dewi Aa Citra 2083 1 - 0
Jafar Sofyan 2195 - GM Shabalov Alexander 2529 0 - 1

Round 3 standings:
1-3. GM Tkachiev Vladislav FRA 2631, GM Barbosa Oliver PHI 2538 and GM Li Chao b CHN 2710 - 3.0
4-11. IM Purnama Tirta Chandra INA 2368, GM Wang Yue CHN 2716, GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar IND 2631, GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2597, GM Shabalov Alexander USA 2529, GM Paragua Mark PHI 2533, IM Bitoon Richard PHI 2504 and IM Grigoryan Karen H. ARM 2473 - 2.5

Round 4 top pairings:
GM Li Chao b 2710 - GM Tkachiev Vladislav 2631
GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2631 - GM Barbosa Oliver 2538
GM Wang Yue 2716 - IM Bitoon Richard 2504
GM Mareco Sandro 2597 - IM Grigoryan Karen H. 2473
GM Shabalov Alexander 2529 - GM Paragua Mark 2533
GM Laylo 2534 - IM Purnama Tirta Chandra 2368
IM Lioe Dede 2402 - GM Dreev Aleksey 2711
FM Wahono Awam 2379 - GM So Wesley 2655
WGM Guramishvili Sopiko 2359 - GM Fier Alexander 2583
GM Kotanjian Tigran 2546 - IM Dimakiling Oliver 2414
GM Megaranto Susanto 2530 - FM Tunasly Kifly 2400

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

Magnus Carlsen will play in the Candidates Tournament

Magnus Carlsen has decided to participate in the next World Championship cycle. He is stopping the boycott that began in May 2010 and is back in the hunt for the highest title in chess.

The Norwegian prodigy announced his decision right after winning Bilbao Grand Slam in an interview for the Norwegian VG. Carlsen admits to have come to the decision after FIDE announced that the next Candidates Tournament will be a round robin event.

Magnus Carlsen shared, "If the changes that are predicted come true, I am ready to fight for the World Championship title."

Full article

2012 U.S. Championships scheduled in Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS, October 13, 2011 -- GM Gata Kamsky and IM Anna Zatonskih will look to defend their respective crowns next May in Saint Louis.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will host the 2012 U.S. Championship and 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship simultaneously May 7 through May 20 of next year. This marks the fourth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis.

Tickets for the opening ceremony, which will take place on May 7, and the closing ceremony, scheduled for May 20, will be available soon. Round one for each event begins on May 8.

The 2012 U.S. Championship will feature an elite field of just 12 players and a guaranteed prize fund of at least $160,000. In addition, the CCSCSL will sponsor the “$64K Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 11-0 in the U.S. Championship, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s result at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship. Invitations for the 2012 U.S. Championship are as follows:

* (1) 2011 U.S. Champion: GM Gata Kamsky
* (1) 2011 U.S. Open Champion: GM Alex Lenderman
* (1) 2011 U.S. Junior Closed Champion: NM Gregory Young
* (7) The seven remaining highest-rated players according to the January supplement: TBD
* (2) Two wildcard invitations: TBD

The 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship will feature 10 players and a guaranteed prize fund of $64,000. Invitations for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship are as follows:

* (1) 2011 U.S. Women’s Champion: IM Anna Zatonskih

* (7) The seven remaining highest-rated players according to the January supplement: TBD

* (2) Two wildcard invitations: TBD

The U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship will both be classic round-robin tournaments, in which each participant will play every other participant exactly once.

In addition to the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship, the CCSCSL will organize an open blitz tournament with large prizes to which all of the competitors in both Championships will be invited. Stay tuned for more details!

For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

India National Premier Chess Championship

The 49th India National Premier Chess Championship is taking place from 9th to 21st October at the MIT Engineering College in Aurangabad.

49 players including 18 Grandmasters and 21 International Masters are competing in the 13-rounds Swiss event.

GM S P Sethuraman has taken the sole lead having won all games in the first four rounds.

Anand avoids last-place finish in Bilbao

Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Bilbao Grand Slam chess tournament with a last-round draw against Hikaru Nakamura of US on Tuesday.

Carlsen's closest rival for title, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, also drew his game against Levon Aronian of Armenia leading to a tie for first place with 15 points each in the Bilbao (football scoring) system but both the tiebreaks (SB and traditional scoring) favoured the Norwegian.

If Carlsen and Ivanchuk fought for the first place, on the adjacent table, world champion Viswanathan Anand was engaged in a do-or-die battle for avoiding the last place with Vallejo Pons of Spain. It was interesting to watch Anand try everything in his bag to outplay Vallejo, who started the round with a one-point advantage over the Indian.

Hari Hara Nandanan for The Times of India

Magistral Casino de Barcelona 2011

On Wednesday, October 12th at 15.45 the Chess Tournament Magistral Casino de Barcelona 2011 will take start. This year the Tournament is organized by the Catalonian Chess Federation and sponsored by the Casino of Barcelona (Group Peralada), Barcelona City Hall and and the Autonomous Government of Catalonia.

The Venue of the Tournament is the Casino of Barcelona (Marina Avenue, 19-21), the dates are from October 12th to20th, 2011, and the games will start at 16.00.

Participants:
1 GM OMS PALLISSE JOSEP 2493 ESP
2 GM DE LA RIVA AGUADO OSCAR 2541 AND
3 GM SMIRIN ILIA 2678 ISR
4 GM SEIRAWAN YASSER 2652 USA
5 GM SPRAGGETT KEVIN 2576 CAN
6 GM ALSINA LEAL DANIEL 2529 ESP
7 GM ITURRIZAGA EDUARDO 2640 VEN
8 GM SALGADO LOPEZ IVAN 2614 ESP
9 GM PERALTA FERNANDO 2602 ARG
10 GM NARCISO DUBLAN MARC 2519 ESP

Update: GM Eduardo Iturrizaga, the top player of Venezuela, suffered a car accident on the way to the airport today. The car is destroyed, but GM Iturrizaga is reported to be well. He will not be able to travel to Barcelona, so the tournament Magistral Ciudad de Barcelona will start with 9 players.

ECU mishandling of 2013 events bids prompts court case in CAS

Turkish Chess Federation has started legal procedures against ECU in the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). The case entered in Lausanne on the 10th of October, 2011. The main reason is mishandling of 2013 events bids and the procedures for naming the bid winners.

The appeal of the Turkish Chess Federation is filed for:

1. ECU's decision to award the 2013 European Youth Chess Championship to Budva, Montenegro without making proper bid evaluation
2. The refusal to award TCF the 2013 Senior Team Championship despite having won the evaluation, and the postponement for the decision for the General Assembly

Catalogue of criteria for the bid procedure is indeed at places showing some ridiculous evaluation points award.

The TCF already sued the ECU for similar reasons in the Judicial Court in Lausanne in October 2007. On April 2009 the court ruled for TCF.

Magnus Carlsen Wins 4th Bilbao Final Masters

In the final round of the Bilbao Grand Slam Masters world champion Anand defeated Paco Vallejo, while the games Ivanchuk - Aronian and Nakamura - Carlsen were drawn.

Carlsen and Ivanchuk shared the first place with 15 points each. The overall winner will be decided after the quick tiebreak - two games with the 4min+3sec time control. In case of another tie, an Armageddon game will settle the issue.

Aronian, Anand and Nakamura share third place with 12 points each, while Vallejo is last with 10 points.

Update: Carlsen beats Ivanchuk 1.5-0.5 in the blitz playoff and claims the winner's trophy

Bilbao Final Masters Round 9

Magnus Carlsen defeated Vassily Ivanchuk in the 9th round of the Grand Slam Masters Final in Bilbao and caught him on the shared first place with one game to go.

In case of tie in the top of the standings, the winner would be decided in a quick-game playoff.

In the other 9th round game Nakamura lost against Vallejo, that was decided in a "conflict" after a small controversy in the end and protests of the American player. The arbiter proclaimed Vallejo the winner after Nakamura got confused and overstepped the time allowed for the first 40 moves.

For his part, and with unusual speed, World Champion Vishy Anand has lost in less than two hours against Levon Aronian, who was playing White.

Round 9 video

Round 9 standings:
1-2. Vassily Ivanchuk and Magnus Carlsen - 14
3-4. Hikaru Nakamura and Levon Aronian - 11
5. Francisco Vallejo - 10
6. Viswanathan Anand - 9

Round 10 pairings:
Vassily Ivanchuk - Levon Aronian, Viswanathan Anand - Francisco Vallejo, Hikaru Nakamura - Magnus Carlsen

Bilbao Chess Grand Slam Round 9 Video

Indonesia Open Chess Championship 2011

Indonesia Open Chess Championship 2011 will take place from 12th to 19th October 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The tournament is open for all chess players from federations member of FIDE with ELO Rating minimum 2200. Chess players from Indonesia, special provision applies.

Individual Standard Chess. FIDE rated 9 Rounds Swiss System. Time control 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment for every move starting from move 1.

PRIZES (Total 55.500 USD)
1st : 10.000 USD
2nd : 6.000 USD
3rd : 4.000 USD
4th : 3.000 USD
5th : 2.500 USD
6th : 2.000 USD
7th – 12th @ 1.500 USD : 9.000 USD
13th – 20th @ 750 USD : 6.000 USD
Best Women – 1st : 2.500 USD, 2nd : 1.500 USD, 3rd : 1.000 USD
Best Junior U-20 – 1st : 1.500 USD , 2nd : 1.000 USD, 3rd : 500 USD
* Prizes are equally shared among players who has same points

Update: Li Chao b Claims Indonesia Open Chess Championship

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 8

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 7

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 6

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 5

Indonesia Open Chess Championship - Round 3

Full regulations

Globo Esporte on Magnus Carlsen

Globo Esporte published a long piece about the Norwegian wonder titled "Superhuman: Magnus Carlsen, the genius who traded football for chess".

Dated Sunday, when Bilbao Grand Slam is taking a rest day, the conversation apparently took place in Monaco, probably during the last Melodi Amber tournament.

Nalchik FIDE Women Grand Prix - Promo Video

Nalchik FIDE Women Grand Prix

The 3rd tournament of the FIDE Women Grand Prix 2011-2012 is taking place from 8th to 23rd October in Nalchik, Russia. 12 players compete in the round robin event.

Russia is represented with five players, including the former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk who won her title in Nalchik, and Tatiana Kosintseva – the convincing winner of the previous Nalchik Grand Prix.

Round 1 results:
IM Munguntuul Batkhuyag 2467 ½ - ½ IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421
GM Lahno Kateryna 2554 ½ - ½ IM Galliamova Alisa 2498
GM Zhu Chen 2490 0 - 1 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2469
GM Zhao Xue 2497 1 - 0 GM Cmilyte Viktorija 2525
GM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2560 0 - 1 WGM Ju Wenjun 2536
GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2528 ½ - ½ GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2536

Live games with analysis

Bilbao Chess Final Masters R8 Video

Saratov Governor’s Cup

The Saratov Governor's Cup is taking place from 8th to 19th October as 11 rounds all-play-all event with an impressive field. The region is honouring the members of Ekonomist Saratov, a very successful team which claimed the European Club Cup twice (2009 and 2010).

Players:
Ruslan Ponomariov UKR 2758, Alexander Morozevich RUS 2737, Peter Leko HUN 2728, Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2726, Alexander Moiseenko UKR 2726, Alexei Shirov ESP 2713, Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2710, Dmitry Andreikin RUS 2705, Pavel Eljanov UKR 2683, Ni Hua CHN 2670, Michael Roiz ISR 2668 and Evgeny Alekseev RUS 2662.

Round 1: All games were drawn, Andreikin Dmitry - Ni Hua, Leko Peter - Morozevich Alexander, Ponomariov Ruslan - Shirov Alexei, Roiz Michael - Eljanov Pavel, Tomashevsky Evgeny - Alekseev Evgeny and Vitiugov Nikita - Moiseenko Alexander.

Bilbao, Carlsen – Vallejo Live

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

Oslo Chess International 2011

The Oslo Chess International 2011 is organized by Hans Olav Lahlum and Akademisk Sjakklubb Oslo on 2-9th October in Oslo, Norway.

After seven rounds of play Matthew Sadler (England) is holding the helm with 6 points. Half a point behind is Frode Elsness (Norway), and further a full point behind the leader are Jon Ludvig Hammer (Norway), Sipke Ernst, Sergei Tiviakov (both Netherlands) and Vladimir Burmakin (Russia).

Bilbao Chess Grand Slam Round 7 Video

Video by Vijay Kumar for Chessdom.com from the opening ceremony of Bilbao Final Masters, see video from the previous round with interviews here.

Changes in the SPICE Cup 2011

Update (8th October): Two changes at the SPICE Cup in A & C group. Alexander Onischuk out due to family emergency and will be replaced by GM Sébastien Feller (France). GM Eltaj Safarli has to play for Azerbaijan at European Team Championship and is replaced by GM Josh Friedel.

Full lineups

Kasparov Plays Against Amateurs in Bratislava, Win a Ticket and Join

Kasparov’s visit to Bratislava might be of great importance to any chess fan in the region - he will play a simultaneous exhibition against recreational players. The simul against the six-time World Champion is held on Friday, 14th October, at Bratislava's Crowne Plaza hotel. The match begins at 18:00, and will be played on 20 chessboards simultaneously.

The tournament is reserved for players without an official FIDE (World Chess Federation) rating, or those, whose rating does not exceed 2100 points.

If you are interested in playing against the living chess legend, you can also attend an online tournament at http://www.chessfriends.com. The prize for the winner of the Play Against Kasparov tournament is one ticket to the prestigious simul against Garry Kasparov. The registration to the website is free and the tournament can be found under the Tournaments section. The winner must prove his legibility for the simul (the 2100 point limit), otherwise the runner-up player will be awarded the prize.

If you are interested in playing against the chess grandmaster and not willing to attend the tournament, tickets are still available. Player fee for the world-famous chess player is 1000 euros per game. Part of grandmaster's earnings will be donated to charity. Those interested in playing a game in the simul, can get more information at sales@chessfriends.com or +421 918 526 329.

"We are very excited about this simultaneous exhibition," said Marek Holeva of ChessFriends.com, "and we would like to share our excitement with our players."

Bilbao Final Masters - Interviews with Anand, Carlsen, Vallejo, Aronian, Ivanchuk, Nakamura, and Leontxo Garcia

The round 6 video contains interviews with Anand, Carlsen, Vallejo, Aronian, Ivanchuk, Nakamura, and Leontxo Garcia. For more videos on the Grand Slam visit the Blip TV chess videos.

Bilbao Final Masters - Round 6

In the sixth round of the Bilbao Grand Slam Final Vassily Ivanchuk defeated Hikaru Nakamura, while Magnus Carlsen - Vishy Anand, and Paco Vallejo - Levon Aronian ended with draws.

Round 6 standings:
1. Ivanchuk
2-5. Anand, Aronian, Carlsen and Nakamura - 7
6. Vallejo - 4

Pairings of the 7th round: Vallejo - Ivanchuk, Aronian - Carlsen and Anand - Nakamura.

Live games with analysis

Poikovsky Tournament - Round 3

In the third round of the 12th Poikovsky tournament Z. Efimenko defeated A. Motylev and S. Karjakin beat V. Laznicka.

E. Bacrot - D. Yakovenko, F. Caruana - A. Bruson and S. Rublevsky - A. Onischuk were drawn.

Efimenko, Caruana and Karjakin leading with 2 points each.

Live games with analysis

Bilbao Chess Masters 2011 VIDEO

Berner Stadtmeisterschaft

Bern City Chess Championship is scheduled to take place from 13th to 16th October at the Restaurant Union in Bern, Switzerland.

The tournament will be played over 7 rounds of Swiss pairing system. Top prizes: 1. Fr.1'000.-/ 2. Fr.700.-/ 3. Fr.500.-/ 4. Fr.400.-/ 5. Fr.300.-/ 6. Fr.200.-
There are also money prizes for the Junior Groups, Seniors and local players.

Currently top rated players are: GM Grigorov Grigor (Bulgaria), GM Cherniaev Alexander (Russia), IM Klauser Markus (Switzerland) and IM Habibi Ali (Germany).

Tournament Director - Benedikt Jorns, 079 772 50 46

Corsica Masters 2011

Corsica, famous for being the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte, is also famous for being the land of chess. L’île de beauté (Isle of beauty) us again a host to a powerful event. The 15th “Corsican Circuit” will be held 22-29 October in Bastia and 31 October in Ajaccio.

In Corsica, since 2002, all tournaments are played under the “Corsican rule”, which the arbiter summed up in “a quick draw is a quick zero”. Draws by mutual agreement are entirely forbidden. So let’s fight!

The tournament organizer Léo Battesti stresses on the fact that Corsica has inspired the Sofia rule.

The 2011 tournament starts with a 9 rounds Swiss event of 1 h 30 + 30 sec / move. The top 14 players qualify for the 1/8th finals. The winners proceed to a rapid and if needed blitz finals. The rate of play of the Cup is 15 min with 3s increment per move. One game with white and one game with black. In case of a tie, then 2 blitz games in 3min + 2s. And if it’s still a draw, an Armageddon blitz game.

The Corsica Masters 2011 is once again one of the top events of the season, and this is proven by the participation of Vishy Anand who will give a simul at 13:30 CET on September 27th. The 15 top players of the youth tournament, another 15 by draw, and another 30 from the main tournament will face the World Champion.

More information on the official website

Lichtenrader Herbst 2011

9 Rounds CH-System (DWZ and ELO evaluation) Open will take place from 8th to 16th October at the Gemeinschaftshaus Lichtenrade in Berlin, Germany.

40 moves in 90 min + 30 min rest of game (+30 sec per move), period of grace: 1 hour

Location:
Gemeinschaftshaus Lichtenrade
Barnetstraße 11, 12305 Berlin

Schedule:
round 1: 2:00 p.m. (registration until 12:45 p.m.)
round 2 – 7: 5:00 p.m.; round 8 and 9: 2:00 p.m.

Prize Funds: 8.000 €
Sponsor: LAWYER ROLAND EXNER
Bornholmer Straße 87, 10439 Berlin, tel.: 0049/30/470 34 364
1st Prize 1200.- €
2nd Prize 1000.- €
3rd Prize 800.- €
4th Prize 600.- €
5th Prize 400.- €
6th Prize 200.- €
7th Prize 100.- €
8th Prize 60.- €

Rating Prizes
DWZ 1st Prize 2nd Prize 3rd
2100-2299 180 € 150 € 120 €
2000-2099 180 € 150 € 120 €
1900-1999 150 € 120 € 100 €
1800-1899 150 € 120 € 100 €
1700-1799 120 € 100 € 80 €
1600-1699 120 € 100 € 80 €
1400-1599 100 € 80 € 60 €
0001-1399 100 € 80 € 60 €


Organization: K. Pribyl/J. Friedenberger/C. Fuß
tel: 0049/176/ 811 509 33

Email: LiraH@sw-lichtenrade.de
All Regulations can be found on our Homepage
www.sw-Lichtenrade.de

12th Poikovsky Tournament

The 12th Poikovsky tournament in honour of the former World Champion Anatoly Karpov has started on 4th and continues until 13th October.

Ten players compete in the round robin tournament and six of them very previously winners in Poikovsky. Live games with analysis.

Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2772, Poikovsky winner in 2010), Dmitry Jakovenko (Russia, 2716, Poikovsky winner in 2007), Fabiano Caruana (Italy, 2712), Etienne Bacrot (France, 2705, Poikovsky winner in 2005), Zahar Efimenko (Ukraine, 2703), Viktor Laznicka (the Czech Republic , 2701), Alexander Motylev (Russia, 2690, Poikovsky winner in 2009), Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba, 2682), Sergei Rublevsky (Russia, 2681, Poikovsky winner in 2008), Alexander Onischuk (USA, 2669, Poikovsky winner in 2002 and 2003).

Dubai Sports Council boost for Asian chess

Dubai: The Asian Cities Chess Teams Championship will henceforth have the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) as its sponsor and will now be known as the Dubai Cup, following an agreement signed between the DSC, FIDE, the world governing body for chess, and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF).

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov signed the agreement at the historic Dubai Museum fort in Bur Dubai on Saturday in the presence of Ebrahim Al Bannai, President, UAE Chess Association, and Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif, Secretary-General, DSC. "This is a historic occasion for chess in the UAE as we sign such an agreement that will benefit the sport, not just in the UAE but in the entire Gulf and Arab region," Dr. Al Sharif told Gulf News.

"I am confident that this tournament will further promote the name of Dubai as it brings together top chess-playing cities in Asia," Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif added.

Ilyumzhinov said: "Now with the Dubai Sports Council stepping in to sponsor this event, we hope to raise the profile of this championship."

European Team Chess Championships 2011

European Team Chess Championships will take place 3rd-12th November in Porto Carras, Greece.

The countries are slowly announcing their lineups, the latest to become public is the Russian team. Follow the links at the bottom of that article for other federations.

49th Annual Canadian Open

The 49th Annual Canadian Open will be held in Victoria, BC at the Hotel Grand Pacific located in Victoria's Inner Harbour steps away from tourist attractions, ferry connections, and the BC legislature.

Venue: The 4 star Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Bellevile St. Victoria, BC Canada located in Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Sections: Premier (FIDE and CFC rated), U2000 (CFC rated), and U1600 (CFC rated)

Round Times: Sunday July 8 at 11:00am and 6:00pm, Monday July 9 at 11:00am and 6:00pm, Tuesday July 10 at 11:00am and 6:00pm, Wednesday July 11 at 6:00pm, Thursday July 12 at 6:00pm, Friday July 13 at 10:00am

Time Control: Game / 120 plus 30 second increment each move.

Prize Fund: $15,000 Guaranteed:

Veselin Topalov in a clock simul in Dublin

During last year’s campaign for the ECU presidency, Silvio Danailov offered to send 3 Grandmasters to Ireland. True to his word, last November, Ivan Cheparinov came and played in the Kilkenny Masters weekender. And now, on October 3rd, ECU President Danailov and GM Veselin Topalov visited to Dublin.

Instead of doing the usual talk and simul, the hosts thought it might be interesting to have a clock simul against the Irish Men’s Team: GM Alex Baburin, IM Sam Collins, IM Alex Lopez and IM Mark Quinn.

The players had two hours for all their moves.

Mark Crowther reports on twitter:
Alex Baburin beats Veselin Topalov in his simul against the Irish team in Dublin Mon 3rd Oct. Match drawn 2-2. Games not yet available.

Inaugural Lecture at World Chess Hall of Fame

SAINT LOUIS, October 3, 2011 -- The World Chess Hall of Fame presents its inaugural lecture on Thursday, October 6 at 6 p.m. Renowned collector Dr. George Dean will give a lecture on his unparalleled collection of chess memorabilia.

“Chess Masterpieces: One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets,” will explore the history and significance of Dr. Dean’s extensive collection.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Dean and his wife Vivian have traveled the world acquiring rare, beautiful and culturally significant chess sets, including those currently on view in the World Chess Hall of Fame’s second floor exhibition, Chess Masterpieces: Highlights from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection.

Dr. Dean will give attendees a rare inside look at his spectacular collection, highlighting special pieces and sharing his experiences as a collector. Following the lecture and an exhibit walk-through, Dr. Dean will sign copies of his book Chess Masterpieces: One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets, which will be available for purchase in The Store at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Thursday, October 6
6 p.m.
World Chess Hall of Fame – 3rd Floor Gallery
4652 Maryland Ave.
Saint Louis, MO 63108

Light refreshments will be served. There is no charge; however, seating is limited. Please RSVP to Claire Grothe at claire.grothe@worldchesshof.org or call 314-367-9243 ext. 105 to reserve your place.

Generous support for Chess Masterpieces: Highlights from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection was provided by Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield.

For more information, please visit www.worldchesshof.org.

Guernsey Chess Festival

The 37th Guernsey International Chess Festival will be held on 16-22 October 2011 at the Peninsula Hotel, Guernsey. The highest placed eligible player in the Open tournament will receive entry into the British Chess Championship 2012.

The Open Tournament – Sponsored by Intertrust Guernsey

A Seven Round, FIDE rated, Swiss Competition, open to players of any grade
Time limit: 40 moves in 100 minutes and then 40 minutes to finish with a 30 second increment per move from move 1
Entry fee: £40 (includes prize-giving dinner: juniors £30 entry fee)
Main Prizes: £1,200 : £600 : £300 : £200 : £150

Currently top rated players are GM Sulskis Sarunas (Lithuania 2577), GM Pert Nick (England 2557), GM Hillarp-Persson Tiger (Sweden 2535) and GM Hebden Mark (England 2506).

The Holiday Tournament – Sponsored by the Peninsula Hotel

A Seven Round, Swiss Competition (with a bye possible in any of the first four rounds) open to players graded bellow 1800 FIDE (150 ECF)
FIDE rated players with a FIDE rating above 1800 may enter as long as they can demonstrate their national grade is below the required cut-off. This rule is applied at the organisers’ discretion.
Time limit: 40 moves in 2 hours and then 1 hour to finish
Entry fee: £40 (includes prize-giving dinner: juniors £30 entry fee)
Main Prizes: £400 : £200 : £100 : £75