Canadian Chess Open

The 2007 Canadian Chess Open will take place in Otawa on July 7-15. Thanks to the sponsors and paid entries, the prize fund has increased to $25.000 CAD.

Confirmed are 15 GMs from various chess federations, thus making the tournament eligible for title norms. GMs Nigel Short, Vadim Milov, Sergey Tiviakov and Victor Mikhalevski are top seeds, followed by Mark Bluvshtein (Canada), Viorel Iordachescu (Moldova), Suat Atalik (Turkey), Alex Yermolinsky (USA), David Howell (England), Borislav Ivkov (Serbia), Valerie Aveskulov (Ukraine), Abhijit Kunte (India), Frank de la Paz (Cuba), Tu Hoang Thong (Vietnam) and Tomas Likavsky (Slovakia).

Kalemegdan Photo Gallery

After reading our previous post Chess Tables at Kalemegdan, Dick van Mersbergen from the Netherlands sent us an email:

"I was searching for information on the chess players at Kalemegdan because i just finished a photoseries on them. Via the article "Chess Tables at Kalemegdan" i learned that the tables there were just installed last april (I was there from 2-4 may). I had a good time there.

You might be interested in the photo's, feel free to have a look at them: www.vanmersbergen.com/color/
If by any chance you know one of these players, please inform them on the series.
It is a tribute to chess and these devoted players."


Thank you Dick for the wonderful photos!

Susan Polgar on WCL

Few hours ago WorldChessNetwork (WCN) and US Chess Live (USCL) were shut down. New home for their members, World Chess Live (WCL), will be open today around noon eastern time. New registrations are possible starting from next Monday. Management is confident that WCL will have the same wonderful atmosphere as two old communities.

The project is very ambitious. Susan Polgar, the best known (only?) chess brand in US, will host various events for youth, and company will work closely with scholastic clubs and organizations. However, they have to find something to entertain indifferent Europeans.

One of the scheduled events is simul by GM Joel Benjamin (his first simul online), set for 17:00 EST on May 30.

Topalov to open chess cafe in Sofia

Official opening of the first chess cafe in Sofia will take place tomorrow May 29th at 11 am local time. The cafe is located in downtown Sofia, street Car Osvoboditel 8A, near Russian Church.

Special guest Veselin Topalov will have the honor of ordering first drink.


Edit: A photo for the readers of Streatham & Brixton blog:.

Chess problem solving and blog writing contest

We are glad to announce the LatestChess.com "Chess Problem solving and Blog writing contest for the year 2007". This is the first time any chess related website is conducting Chess problem solving as well as blog writing contest. We wish to encourage chess players and chess lovers to write their views/blogs/suggestions. This is a great opportunity for chess players to express their views in front of the thousands of readers. All the chess problems are chose by the experts like Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte. Problems are for beginners as well as for the experts.
We are offering exciting prizes for this contest.

Contest duration: 28th May to 28th June 2007.

Please visit our site - http://latestchess.com/ to know all the details.


Regards,
Content Team
www.latestchess.com

Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte
Adviser for LatestChess

Sandeep Gohad
Editor for LatestChess.com site
Editor for cpai.in (Chess Players Association of India) site

Saurabh Amberkar
Editor for LatestChess.com site

Chess on Mobile Phone

In a way, chess is a natural for telephone play because its board moves are often expressed in simple text — such as "Qe3," to move the queen piece to the e3 square — that can be sent over mobile phones by SMS text message. But the wireless chess games available today have not exactly taken off.

"SMS allows for total liberty of movement," [Nahed] Ojjeh, [president of the NAO club], said. "The regulations and the technology do not rule out playing even while at the beach."

Full article


Useful list of available programs with short reviews

Mobile/Wireless Services and Software list on About Chess

Empty Promises

Right at the end of Topalov-Kramnik match, a 2007 World Championship website has been announced. What has attracted my attention is awful design.

I don't know about the latest surveys, but we can estimate that some 25 percent of internet users are still cruising on dial-up. Right on the homepage they are welcomed with the heavy and noisy flash. The images are huge and unutilized. Website is breaking basic laws of the internet usability and I believe the multi-million investors have deserved better presentation.

Browsing further through the pages reveals poor information and tables presented in .jpg format. Particularly bad is this one of 121 KB. Going back to the announcement, we read "an entire year of tournaments and events offline and on" – I haven't found any of them. "Real media relations, imagine!" – The emails I have sent to Director de Operaciones and Press department are left without reply. Few months ago I have also signed up "for news and things", but never received anything from them.

A big warning to the Grand Slam Chess Association, be careful what you do.

Capablanca Memorial

42nd Capablanca Memorial is scheduled to take place in Habana on 19-29 May. Players invited: Vasilly Ivanchuk (UKR 2729), Leinier Domínguez (CUB 2678), Kamil Miton (POL 2653), Peter H. Nielsen (DEN 2649), Vugar Gashimov (AZE 2644), Lázaro Bruzón (CUB 2620), Walter Arencibia (CUB 2555), Jesús Nogueiras (CUB 2552), Neuris Delgado (CUB 2547) and Yuniesky Quesada (CUB 2541).

Round 4 report

Video with Silvio Danailov

In the short interview made yesterday, Danailov is talking about the Grand Slam Chess Association. Mexico City is the 5th tournament, total prize fund is around two million euros, decisions inside the GSCA are made by voting (there is veto right) etc.



Schedule for the year 2008:
Corus Wijk aan Zee (The Nederlands, January 11-27th), Linares (Spain, February 15th – March 9th), M-Tel Masters Sofia (Bulgaria, May 6-18th), Mexico City (June 21st – July 6th) and the Final Masters in Bilbao (Spain, September 15-27th)

ChessBase boycotting Mtel Masters

Mtel Masters round 2 has already started and ChessBase is conspicuously silent. Only stories about Topalov-Brunetti blindfold game and a brief photo report on the German website. Their correspondent IM Dejan Bojkov is following the games and writing reports as usual, but he's not sure if they will pop-up.

Update: I'm so glad they read this blog :) ChessBase is now updated, mostly with photo reports.

Dresden Impressions

GM Borki Predojevic: The organization was not on the highest level, players are wondering how the next year's Olympiad will look like. Awful internet website and bad communication between organizers and hotels were most obvious problems. On the other hand, playing venue provided excellent conditions.

GM Ivan Cheparinov: I personally did not like the Dresden 2007 organization. There the coaches had full access to the players and anti cheating measures were at their minimum.

Open letter: GM Erik van den Doel


Bosna 2007 tournament is scheduled to take place on 18-28 May in Sarajevo. Participants are Alexander Morozevich, Nigel Short, Ivan Sokolov, Artyom Timofeev, Borki Predojevic and Sergei Movsesian.

Chess Tables at Kalemegdan

Birthday celebration of Belgrade city was a good occasion for Administrative office of Belgrade's fortress to give six chess tables as a present to citizens of Belgrade. Tables are set at the beginning of park Kalemegdan.

Formal opening of this event was attended by Andrija Mladenovic member of Democratic Party of Serbia, GM Alisa Maric, IM Nikola Karaklajic and Borivoje Zaric, vice president of Serbia Chess Federation.

WFM Marija Stojanovic testing the equipment

Belgrade Birhday Celebration

Romanian Chess Grand Prix

Pius Brinzeu Memorial is currently ongoing in Timisoara, Romania. Timis County Chess Association and A.E.M. Timisoara are hosting tournament with wonderful conditions for titled players, Grandmasters are provided with free accommodation and full board, while International masters are getting free accommodation. In addition, there is generous prize fund of almost 4000 euros.

Round 6 standings:
1-3. GM Nevednichy Vladislav, IM Mateuta Gabriel and GM Lupulescu Constantin 5.0; 4-9. GM Grigore George-Gabriel, GM Gleizerov Evgeny, GM Malaniuk Vladimir, Sfarlog Tudor-Vlad, IM Berescu Alin and IM Ardeleanu Alin 4.5 etc.

Our good friend Girmacea Bogdan is standing on 4.0 points.


This event is part of the greater Romanian Chess Grand Prix circuit. Next tournament with 8.000 euros prize fund is starting already on 8 May in Galati, city placed in eastern Romania. For more information, visit the official website.