Follow the World Cup in Baku

The 2015 Chess World Cup begins on September 11 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and the birthplace of the 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov.  A total of 128 participants have been paired much like college basketball's March Madness, with the top seeds facing the lowest rated in the first round.  Each round consists of two classical games (40/90, G/30, inc/30) followed by a third day of rapid and blitz tiebreaks (if necessary).

At the end of 7 rounds over 26 grueling days, the champion earns $96,000 and, perhaps more significantly, the top two qualify for the 2016 Candidates Tournament to determine the official challenger to Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Champion.  Can former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik win two World Cups in a row, or will one of the young superstars finish on top?

• Official Website
• Watch Live Games (start at 3:00am Pacific)
  
• World Cup Odds (match by match)

View from hotel in Baku. Credit: Caruana

Top 16 Seeds (with Live ratings)

• #1 Veselin Topalov (BUL) 2813
• #2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2816
• #3 Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2796
• #4 Anish Giri (NED) 2798
• #5 Wesley So (USA) 2760
• #6 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2777
• #7 Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2774
• #8 Ding Liren (CHN) 2782
• #9 Levon Aronian (ARM) 2784 eliminated in round 2
• #10 Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS) 2748
• #11 Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2762
• #12 Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS) 2758
• #13 Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2741 eliminated in round 1
• #14 Pentala Harikrishna (IND) 2737 eliminated in round 2
• #15 Michael Adams (ENG) 2742
• #16 Peter Svidler (RUS) 2727

On one hand, three of the Top 5 seeds represent the USA.  On the other hand, there are six Russians among the Top 16 participants.  N.B.: The seeds reflect the August rating list, not the more current September list.

Nine Americans 

• #2 Hikaru Nakamura 2816 advanced to round 3
• #3 Fabiano Caruana 2796 advanced to round 3
• #5 Wesley So 2760 advanced to round 3
• #41 Ray Robson 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #47 Gata Kamsky 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #54 Alexander Onischuk 2662 eliminated in round 2 by #11 Karjakin (RUS)
• #63 Sam Shankland 2656 eliminated in round 2 by #2 Nakamura (USA)
• #79 Varuzhan Akobian 2635 eliminated in round 1
• #112 Sam Sevian 2556 eliminated in round 1 by #17 Radjabov (AZE)

The format of the World Cup favors many upsets, starting as early as the first round!  Even one miscalculation could mean a premature flight home.  Four years ago, local star Sam Shankland scored the upset of his life by eliminating the Hungarian super-GM Peter Leko!  The following young players are poised to defeat higher seeded opponents in Baku.

Fpawn Upset Watch List

• #22 Yu Yangyi (CHN) 2721 (age 21) advanced to round 3
• #24 Wei Yi (CHN) 2734 (age 16) advanced to round 3
• #45 Vladislav Artemiev (RUS) 2675 (age 17) eliminated in round 2
• #46 Hou Yifan (CHN) 2671 (age 21) eliminated in round 2
• #64 Ivan Bukavshin (RUS) 2657 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #78 S.P. Sethuraman (IND) 2640 (age 22) advanced to round 3
• #80 David Anton Guijarro (ESP) 2628 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #90 Alexander Ipatov (TUR) 2625 (age 22) eliminated in round 2
• #97 Lu Shanglei (CHN) 2599 (age 20) advanced to round 3

Chinese Prodigy Achieves Immortality

Last week, the 16-year old superstar Wei Yi played one of the most beautiful attacking games in modern times at a tournament in Danzhou.  Facing the strong Cuban Grandmaster Lazaro Bruzon, the reigning Chinese national champion sacrificed his rook and later a bishop to snare the enemy in a mating web.  The helpless black monarch finishes its journey on h3, having been chased all the way across the board.  This brilliancy has been called the Game of the Decade by some and an Immortal Game by others.  Even ex-champion Garry Kasparov described it as "impressive."

Either watch the exciting 18 minute video by British GM Simon Williams or simply play through the moves at your own pace.

Commencement Address By Garry Kasparov

The 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov accepted an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address at Saint Louis University.  He spoke of memories from growing up in the communist USSR and contrasted those to the values upon which America thrives, in particular freedom and innovation.  He poignantly shared his life experience and doled out plenty of advice.  For example: "Hard work is a talent. The ability to keep trying when others quit is a talent. And hard work is never wasted."

During his speech, Kasparov wondered aloud if this graduation ceremony would be the happiest day in life of his young audience?  The answer: It does not have to be.

When I won the world championship in 1985 I was 22 years old and it was the greatest

Call him Dr. GM Kasparov!

day of my life. I imagine today is a similar feeling for many of you. You are young, you are strong, and you have a long-time goal in your hands.

On that day in 1985, a strange thing happened. I was standing there on the stage, still with my flowers and my medal, the happiest person in the world, when I was approached by Rona Petrosian, the widow of a former world chess champion from the 60s, Tigran Petrosian. I was expecting another warm congratulations, but she had something else in mind. “Young man,” she said, “I feel sorry for you.” What? Sorry for me? Sorry for me? The youngest world champion in history, on top of the world? “I feel sorry for you,” she continued, “because the happiest day of your life is over.”  .....

There are still new frontiers today, and a limitless number of new inventions waiting to be discovered by people with the curiosity and courage to look for them, and the freedom to do so. It will require belief, hard work, and the values of innovation and liberty. It will require your belief, your hard work, and your ideas. You might say you aren’t ready for a new challenge right away, that you want time to relax, to celebrate, to rest on your new laurels. I’m sorry, but the world will not wait for you. The world needs you now.

Today you have fulfilled one dream, and tomorrow you set course on a new one. If you always have a dream, the happiest day of your life is never over.

 Watch the video above (17 minutes) or read the full text at Kasparov's website.

Team USA Clawing Into Contention

Harbor of Tromsø with hills in background. Credit: Truong

As the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, Norway begins its second week, the tension mounts both on and off the boards.  Teams from roughly 170 nations traveled to this remote locale north of the Arctic Circle despite sporadic flight delays, visa hassles and even threats of terrorism.  The host city has drawn positive reviews, especially for the beautiful scenery amidst water and mountains.  A few complaints included the FIDE zero-tolerance rule at the start of rounds and the use of portable toilets instead of more permanent facilities  For fans back home, the live coverage seems quite thorough.

• OFFICIAL WEBSITE
• LIVE GAMES (starting at 5 AM Pacific)
• CHESSBASE REPORTS 
• RESULTS and PAIRINGS
• ON-SITE REPORT (from IM John Donaldson)


• TEAM USA (Final)
• OPEN in 14th place with 15 MP
• WOMEN in 8th place with 16 MP

World #2 Aronian plays white vs #1 Carlsen. Credit: Truong

After 7 rounds, a clear leader has emerged in both sections.  In the Open division, Azerbaijan (13 MP) defeated Cuba (11 MP) and moved 1 match point ahead of China (12 MP) and three other teams.  One big surprise is the Czech Republic (12 MP), which stunned top rated Russia (10 MP).  In the Women division, defending champion Russia (14 MP) knocked off top rated China (12 MP) to establish a 2 match point advantage over three teams.

Open Leaders (after Round 7)

• 1st with 13 MP = Azerbaijan
• 2nd-5th with 12 MP = China, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania
• 6th-14th with 11 MP = France, Cuba, Armenia, India, Ukraine, Hungary Poland, Germany and USA
• 15th-27th with 10 MP = Netherlands, Russia, Israel and others

Women Leaders (after Round 7)

• 1st with 14 MP = Russia
• 2nd-4th with 12 MP = China, Hungary and Poland
• 5th-11th with 11 MP = France, Georgia, USA, Indonesia, Ukraine, Armenia and Colombia
• 12th-22nd with 10 MP = Germany, India, Iran, Romania and others

The American delegation has seen ups and downs during the first seven rounds.  Both the men and women have won five matches.  However, each squad lost in third round (the men to Holland, the women to top rated China) and have since drawn an additional match, for a total of 11 match points out of a possible 14.  The men find themselves in 14th place, ahead of top ranked Russia, but the women stand in 7th place thanks to superior tiebreaks.  With four rounds to go, Team USA remains in contention for the medals, but must finish very strong.  No doubt 17 or 18 match points will be necessary for a spot on the podium, leaving almost zero room for error. 

Trivia from Tromsø

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov

1. Open division stats: 172 teams from 167 countries.
2. Women division stats: 134 teams from 129 countries.  
3. Americans GM Sam Shankland and WGM Sabina Foisor are two out of only four players (from more than 1500) remaining with a 100% score after 7 rounds!
4. Shortest win: 1.d4 g5 2.e4 f6 3.Qh5#  Seriously! (Zimbabwe vs Togo women, Round 4)
5. Longest game: 139 moves (Vachier-Lagrave vs Jobava, 1-0, Round 7)
6. Reigning World Champs (Magnus Carlsen and Hou Yifan) both lost in Round 7!

   

   13th World Champion Garry Kasparov

7. The greatest social gathering at each Olympiad is the Bermuda party.  Chess photographer David Llada tweeted: “This was, with little doubt, the worst Bermuda party ever. Still, it was better than the average party.”
8. The election of FIDE President occurs on Monday 8/11.  Western European countries and USA support ex-champion Garry Kasparov, but incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov remains entrenched after nearly 20 years in power.  Who will win?  Stay tuned!
9. Weather: Sunny with low 46 / high 64.  Sunset 10:17pm.  Sunrise 3:24am.

One week until Tromsø Olympiad

Aside from the World Championship, the most important international chess tournament is the Olympiad, organized every other year.  The 2014 Chess Olympiad takes place during the first two weeks of August in Tromsø, a Norwegian city located north of the Arctic Circle.  The statistics are staggering: 310 teams (Open and Women) with more than 1500 players, including roughly 275 Grandmasters.  A half dozen squads field a top-4 average rating above 2700 FIDE.  However, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) actives promotes participation by weaker nations, and no fewer than 40 teams rated under 2000 FIDE will compete in the Open section.

Tromsø lies amid water and mountains.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

RESULTS and PAIRINGS

PREVIEW by IM John Donaldson

The two American teams have serious aspirations to bringing home a medal.  The men are seeded 6th and the women 7th. Team USA last reached the podium in Dresden, Germany in 2008, when both squads earned the bronze medal.  Fortunately, the strongest American masters will all represent the red, white and blue, including current World #5 Hikaru Nakamura plus reigning US Champions Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush.  The team brings plenty of experience to Norway, with the top four men and top three women returning from 2012. Watch the newcomer for the men--the Bay Area's own Sam Shankland!

Team USA - Open (2701 average)

• Board 1 GM Hikaru Nakamura (2787) -- World #5
• Board 2 GM Gata Kamsky (2706) -- World #44
• Board 3 GM Alex Onischuk (2659) -- World #92
• Board 4 GM Varuzhan Akobian (2653) 
• Alternate GM Sam Shankland (2624)
• Captain IM John Donaldson
• Coach GM Wesley So 

Team USA - Women (2406 average)

• Board 1 GM Irina Krush (2474) -- World #29
• Board 2 IM Anna Zatonskih (2468) -- World #36
• Board 3 WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2366) -- World #93
• Board 4 WGM Katerina Nemcova (2315)
• Alternate WGM Sabina Foisor (2252)
• Captain GM Melik Khachiyan
• Coach GM Yuri Shulman

No doubt, the Americans will face stiff competition from around the globe, especially from the countries of the former USSR.  Indeed, USSR, Russia, Ukraine and Armenia won gold in the Open section at every Olympiad since the 1970s!  In recent years, Armenia (2012, 2008, 2006) and Ukraine (2010, 2004) have taken the top honors, while perennial top seed Mother Russia has failed every year since Garry Kasparov retired.  Four countries dominated the Women's category for the past eleven Olympiads: Russia (the last 2), China (4 golds out of 11), Georgia (also 4) and Ukraine (just gold in 2006).  China and Russia once again field the highest rated ladies squads.

Top Teams - Men (New Ratings from August 1)

World Champion Magnus Carlsen

1. Russia 2773 -- Kramnik + Grischuk + Karjakin + Svidler
2. Ukraine 2723 -- Ivanchuk + Ponomariov + Eljanov
3. France 2719 -- Vachier-Lagrave + Bacrot + Fressinet
4. Armenia 2705 -- Aronian + Sargissian
5. Hungary 2703 -- Leko + Rapport
6. USA 2701 -- Nakamura + Kamsky
7. China 2699 -- Liren Ding + Wang Yue
8. Azerbaijan 2694 -- Mamedyarov + Radjabov
9. Israel 2683 -- Gelfand
10. England 2681 -- Adams 
11. Netherlands 2677 -- Giri
12. Germany 2671 -- Naiditsch
13. Cuba 2669 -- Dominguez
14. Norway 2666 -- Carlsen
15. Poland 2662 -- Wojtaszek

Most of the world's top players will participate.   Caruana (Italy) and Topalov (Bulgaria) have signed up, but their countries are not contenders.  The most glaring absence is #7 Anand, who has not represented India since 2010.  (In an interesting parallel, the top rated Indian woman, #2 Humpy Koneru, also will skip Norway.)  The next highest rated GM to sit out is Wesley So, who remains embroiled in a contentious battle to switch federations from the Philippines to USA.  Unable to play for the red, white and blue this year, So will assist the team as coach.

Top Teams - Women (New Ratings from August 1)

Women's Champion Hou Yifan

1. China 2549 -- Hou Yifan + Zhao Xue
2. Russia 2520 -- Lagno + Kosteniuk
3. Ukraine 2510 -- A.Muzychuk + M.Muzychuk
4. Georgia 2499 -- Dzagnidze
5. India 2421 -- Harika
6. Romania 2407 
7. USA 2406
8. Poland 2402
9. France 2390
10. Armenia 2383

Miscellaneous:  1. World Champion Magnus Carlsen will lead the home team.  How will he continue to handle the glare of the media?  2. Aside from the chess competition, the Olympiad allows chess delegates from around the globe to meet and set the direction for FIDE.  3. The most important pairing features Kirsan Ilyumzhinov against Garry Kasparov in the election for FIDE President.  The USA and Western Europe support the 13th World Champion, but the electoral landscape (one vote per country, no matter how small) favors the incumbent.  Will the chess community be able to resist a smiling leader who grows money on trees, socializes with aliens, and allegedly ordered the murder of a suspicious journalist?  4. Aside from chess and politics, the most exciting event at every Olympiad is the Bermuda party.  Definitely the place to go see a tipsy GM or fifty.  5. Given the northerly latitude of Tromsø, this may be the first Bermuda party held in daylight!  Hopefully the participants will be able to sleep longer than the 3-4 hours of twilight each evening. 

Sam Sevian Chases GM Title

Sevian at Bay Area International in January.

Now a fully fledged International Master, 13 year old Sam Sevian aspires to the highest title in chess: Grandmaster.  If he completes the requirements before December 2015, he would break the record for the youngest American GM, currently held by Ray Robson at 14 years and 351 days old.  After earning his first GM norm for a 2nd place result at Foxwoods Open in January, Sam appears well on track to shatter the record.

The following article about Sam's quest appeared in the Boston Globe on March 30.

---

In many ways, Sam Sevian resembles a typical American teenager. Just a touch stocky, with a mop of brown hair, a round face, and wire-framed glasses, he’s slightly awkward, especially around adults he doesn’t know that well. He likes to watch sports, specifically the NHL and the NBA — he roots for the Bruins and the Golden State Warriors. And he does his best to avoid household chores, having recently managed to wriggle his way out of one particular task. ("He was supposed to do vacuuming," says Armine Sevian, Sam’s mother. "It was very ... not good," she says with a laugh.)

Sam Sevian receives the U12 gold medal from
Kasparov at the 2012 World Youth in Slovenia.

What makes Sam Sevian different from his peers is that he can play chess better than any other 13-year-old in American history. Last November, a month before his birthday, the Southbridge resident earned the title of International Master. He’s the youngest American player ever to attain that second-highest ranking in chess, besting the mark set in 2008 by Ray Robson, then 13. Bobby Fischer, the gold standard of American chess, didn’t reach the International Master level until he was nearly 15. ...

"We’ve been watching him for two and a half years," Garry Kasparov writes of Sam via e-mail. "He’s a very hard-worker and has all the talent needed to become a top player as he matures and gets his emotions under control."

Read the full article at this link.

Eswaran To Play in US Women's Champ

Ashritha posing with Garry Kasparov at Girls Nationals.

Here is great news from Ted Castro of NorCal House of Chess.

Congratulations to my student Ashritha Eswaran for being invited at the US Women's Championship (most prestigious chess tournament in the US) to be held at the world famous St. Louis Chess Club in May. She's presently the #1 ranked Girl U16 in the country and is newly minted National Master! Thanks to our team of coaches and very supportive parents!

In addition to earning the NM title and #1 national ranking, Ashritha ranks as the top woman in Northern California and Top 20 in the country.  Although lowest rated in the Women's Champ, the 13 year old appears poised to score a few upsets.  Go get 'em!

NorCal Top 5 Women - March 2014

1. NM Eswaran, Ashritha 2231 USCF 1982 FIDE
2. NM Tsodikova, Natalya 2226 2135
3. WFM Byambaa, Uyanga 2136 2050
4. Liu, Joanna 2006 1756
5. Mccreary, Taylor 1998 1876

List adapted from Fpawn Chess. 

16th World Champion Magnus Carlsen

Magnus the Champ!  (photo from Chessbase)

Once the subject of a book titled Wonderboy, the Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen has reached the pinnacle of chess.  He played in his first tournament at age 8, became Grandmaster at 13, earned the #1 rating in the world at 19, and finally claimed the World Championship one week before his 23rd birthday!

In a match watched around the globe, Carlsen defeated the Indian national hero Viswanathan Anand, nearly twice his age, with a dominant performance.  The final score was 6.5 to 3.5.   Already the youngest to reach #1 and the third youngest Grandmaster in history, Carlsen now stands as the second youngest champion, barely older than his former trainer Garry Kasparov.

The following list includes all of the classical World Champions, following the lineage of Kasparov after he broke away from FIDE in 1993. Vladimir Kramnik vanquished Kasparov in 2000 and reunified the chess championship in 2006.

1. Wilhelm Steinitz 1886-1894
2. Emanuel Lasker 1894-1921
3. José Raúl Capablanca 1921-1927
4. Alexander Alekhine 1927-1935 and 1937-1946
5. Max Euwe 1935-1937
6. Mikhail Botvinnik 1948-1957, 1958-1960 and 1961-1963
7. Vasily Smyslov 1957-1958
8. Mikhail Tal 1960-1961
9. Tigran Petrosian 1963-1969
10. Boris Spassky 1969-1972
11. Bobby Fischer 1972-1975
12. Anatoly Karpov 1975-1985
13. Garry Kasparov 1985-2000
14. Vladimir Kramnik 2000-2006
15. Viswanathan Anand 2006-2013
16. Magnus Carlsen 2013-

Make sure to check out this Time magazine article written by Kasparov himself.

Carlsen Takes Command in Chennai

Carlsen plays e7-e5 after Anand opened 1.e4.

This article appeared first at the Internet Chess Club.
 
Eight games into the World Championship match, Magnus Carlsen leads Vishy Anand by two points, 5:3.  Who could have predicted this?  Two weeks ago, pundits touted the importance of match experience as a factor favoring the reigning World Champion.  Yet the veteran blinked first, and then again.  Contrary to popular belief, the youthful challenger displayed nerves of steel, calculating precise moves when pressured, all while patiently waiting for his opponent to slip.

After four rounds of draws, blood spilled in Game 5.  Carlsen maintained a small but steady advantage with the White pieces, forcing a favorable endgame by move 20.  Over the past two decades, Anand has survived many similar positions against elite competition.  However, the determined young Norwegian maximized the complications, and the champion finally collapsed.

Game 6 followed an eerily similar script, except that Anand played the White pieces.  Carlsen equalized quickly, and by move 30, draw seemed almost inevitable.  No doubt any self-confident Grandmaster around the world would expect to hold the draw.  How would they fare against Magnus?  Alas, it took just two substandard moves for Anand to lose the second game in a row.

A press conference follows every game.

To the chagrin of chess fans in India and elsewhere, Games 7 and 8 ended
peacefully without adventure.  One can understand Carlsen's motivation: every draw brings him closer to the title.  Anand, however, trails two sets to none while playing on home turf, in front of his greatest supporters.  Roger Federer overcame this deficit often enough.  Why not Vishy?  Has the champion given up?

The 43 year old Indian emerged on the world stage in the late 1980s.  Anand won at Wijk aan Zee for the first time in 1989, nearly two years before Carlsen was born!  Some readers may recall the 1995 PCA World Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anand, held at the World Trade Center in New York City.  Perhaps, after all these years, Father Time has tapped on Anand's shoulder.  Indeed, Carlsen headlines the new generation in a chess hierarchy that keeps becoming younger.

Say it ain't so, Vishy!  Fight to win a game--for your billion fans.  Tune into the Internet Chess Club on Thursday and Friday mornings to watch and listen.

And don't forget to visit the Official Website for reports, videos and photos. 

Carlsen vs Anand for World Championship

The 15th World Champion Vishy Anand.

This article appeared first at the Internet Chess Club.

Easily the most anticipated chess event in years, the 2013 World Chess Championship in Chennai remains locked at a score of 2:2.  To the chagrin of millions of chess enthusiasts around the globe, neither the veteran title holder Vishy Anand nor his youthful challenger Magnus Carlsen has broken through yet.  Alas, not all draws can be considered boring.  In particular, Game 4 extended into the sixth hour of play and drew praise on Twitter from none other than 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov for “deep strategic planning” and “fighting human chess.”

#1 Rated in History: Magnus Carlsen.

Both competitors missed promising opportunities as the action heated up.  Playing White in Game 3, Carlsen repeated the Reti opening, but Anand confidently asserted himself for the third contest in a row.  Indeed, pundits fully expected the Indian hero to be strongest in the openings, given over two decades of experience battling the Top 10 players in the world.  The advantage grew in the middlegame and the defending champion could have captured a pawn in complications on move 29.  In time pressure, the Norwegian cleverly escaped into a drawn opposite colored bishop endgame.  

The colors and roles were reversed in Game 4, and for the first time, the challenger showed why he owns the highest chess rating in history.  He employed the Berlin defense, an opening closely associated with the Kasparov - Kramnik title match in 2000.  While Vladimir Kramnik successfully used the Berlin as a draw weapon, Carlsen wanted more.  Fearlessly, he grabbed the poisoned a2 pawn, and nearly cashed it in for victory.  Alas, Anand demonstrated that he, too, could defend cleverly, and traded into a rook endgame, still down a pawn, but dead drawn.

The gloves have come off and I expect more exciting action after the rest day.  Will Carlsen finally achieve an advantage with his third White?  Games 5 + 6 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, with another rest day on Sunday.

Check out many more photos at the Official Website.

Sinquefield Cup Starts on Monday

Carlsen plays basketball at Webster. Photo: Truong

Aronian plays blitz with amateurs. Photo: CCSCSL

Over the next week, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis hosts an unprecedented chess event.  Never before have Grandmasters rated above 2800 FIDE squared off in a tournament on American soil.  Indeed, the four participants average an astronomical 2797 in the international rating system.  The Sinquefield Cup, named after chess club benefactor Rex Sinquefield, pits the two highest rated players in the country against the top two in the world for a prize fund of $170,000!

Final Standings

• 4.5 Magnus Carlsen (2862)
• 3.5 Hikaru Nakamura (2774)
• 2.5 Levon Aronian (2802)
• 1.5 Gata Kamsky (2741)

The spotlight will fall upon the two visitors, in particular #1 Magnus Carlsen, the challenger and heir apparent to the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand in November's title match.  The 22 year old Norwegian has become a jack of all trades, moonlighting as a fashion model and chess coach for little children, along the way rubbing elbows with TV comedians and powerful billionaires!   At the chess board, he has exhibited few weaknesses and broke the all-time record rating achieved by his mentor, ex-champion Garry Kasparov.  He carries the mantle of favorite, although this event distracts from preparation before the Anand match.

If Carlsen has bigger fish to fry, then the other three Grandmasters will no doubt take advantage.  World #2 Levon Aronian hails from the chess mecca of Armenia, where as a child he studied with Melik Khachiyan, the gregarious Grandmaster now residing in Los Angeles.  The strongest Americans, Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky, won a combined seven US Championships, including the last five.  Nakamura currently holds the higher rating (by 31 points), but the veteran Kamsky narrowly missed playing for the world championship four times, twice in the mid 1990s and twice within the past five years.

The Sinquefield Cup kicks off on Monday with the pairings Carlsen vs Kamsky and Nakamura vs Aronian.  The double-quad format runs six rounds, daily except for the rest day on Thursday.  The CCSCSL promises a spectacular multimedia presentation for the Sinquefield Cup, with Grandmasters Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley conducting live analysis of every round.

• Information 
• Biographies 
• Pairings and Results
• On-site LIVE coverage (starts at 11am PDT) 
• ICC ChessFM commentary
• FOX2 St. Louis report (2:21 long)

Local Stars on USCF Top 100 U21

Garry Kasparov presents first place trophy to Ashritha Eswaran!
Photo from GM Dejan Bojkov's blog

The vibrant San Francisco Bay Area chess community continues to cultivate the talents of its youth, as witnessed by reviewing the USCF Top 100 lists (which now come out monthly).  Take the Under 21 list for example: 9 boys and 6 girls ranked among the country's best juniors.

Top 100 U21 - July 2013

• #5 GM-elect Daniel Naroditsky (age 17) rated 2558 USCF
• #12 FM Yian Liou (16) 2469
• #13 SM Greg Young (18) 2467
• #15 IM-elect Sam Sevian (12) 2464
• #52 NM Hayk Manvelyan (19) 2311
• #55 FM Cameron Wheeler (12) 2306
• #84 NM Vignesh Panchanatham (13) 2254
• #85 NM Kesav Viswanadha (13) 2253
• #86 NM Colin Chow (13) 2252

The top local stars have been hard at work this summer.  High school senior Daniel Naroditsky earned his final Grandmaster norm last week at the Villa de Benasque Open in Spain.  Congratulations to the GM-elect!  After narrowly missing two consecutive chances for his final IM norm in Washington DC, high school junior Yian Liou will represent the USA next week at the World Youth (U16) Olympiad in Chongqing (China).  Readers may still remember that Daniel, Yian and 12-year old IM-elect Sam Sevian all participated in the US Junior Closed last month in Saint Louis, where Danya finished clear first and the precocious Sam shared second. 

At the lower end of the U21 list, the next generation of Bay Area stars has begun making their mark.  Not yet a teenager, FM Cameron Wheeler already won the CalChess High School Championship to go along with his silver medal from World Youth U-12 last year.  But Cameron faces stiff competition from a trio of National Masters just one year older.  Indeed, Colin Chow of Sacramento shared 2nd at World Open U2400 and will be officially rated over 2300 next month.

Top 100 Girls U21 - July 2013

• #8 Ashritha Eswaran (age 12) rated 2121 USCF
• #37 Taylor Mccreary (16) 1937
• #54 Alekhya Nandula (17) 1845
• #67 Joanna Liu (11) 1790
• #75 Audrey Zhao (15) 1764
• #89 Samyukta Bhat (18) 1721

Not to be outdone by the boys, the top two local girls have made strides over the past six months.  Ashritha Eswaran won All Girls Nationals U14 and gained an incredible 187 points between the January and July rating lists!  She hasn't slowed down yet, and is unofficially rated 2163 after World Open U2200, narrowly outside the Top 20 Women in the country (including adults).  Although rated lower, 16-year old Taylor Mccreary has made waves too, going undefeated against stiff opposition at the aforementioned CalChess High School Championship.

Kayden Troff is the 007

If you are a fan of James Bond or the royal game, this 8-minute video is a must-watch! 

IM Kayden Troff, the World U14 gold medalist who turned 15 three days ago, stars as Britain's top spy in the production by the intrepid youth music group TLC Trio.  The live chess game reenacts Garry Kasparov's Immortal Game, played against Veselin Topalov at the Wijk aan Zee tournament in 1999.  Most of my private students will find this double rook sacrifice familiar.

Rated PG-13 for mild violence and blood.

Carlsen on Top of the World

Carlsen on top of the London Eye.

The Norwegian conqueror of chess arrived at the London Chess Classic determined to assert his dominance over his closest challengers, and to stake out a place in history. After celebrating his 22nd birthday on the day before the first round, Magnus Carlsen won five games, drew three and lost none. He started explosively, winning the first two rounds and scoring 5.5 out of 6! Alas, a pair of fighting draws at the end of the event dropped his performance rating from an astronomical 3146 to a merely mortal 2994.

Book published in 2004

Perhaps most significantly, Carlsen smashed the all-time highest official rating of 2851, a record credited to his former teacher Garry Kasparov. The new mark is 2861, and will no doubt continue to rise as the Wunderkind keeps improving.  He extended the lead over his nearest challenger to 51 rating points; .half a year ago, the gap was just 10 points.  Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, now rated second, finished with an impressive result himself, but he was eclipsed by someone even greater.

We can only imagine how high Carlsen could go once he stops needing luck to escape from a losing position (against Luke McShane) or when he finds the critical move order to convert all pleasant advantages into victories (against Hikaru Nakamura and Viswanathan Anand).  Indeed, he has plenty of room for improvement compared to a computer programs like Houdini.  Regardless, the always opinionated Kasparov already conceded that Carlsen has the necessary talent to reach 2900, only as long as he continues to work hard.

Can he do it?  Maybe it is just a question of when?  Vote in the poll on right side panel.

World Top 20 - December 2012

Top rated Carlsen remains poised to smash the all-time record of 2851 set by his former teacher Garry Kasparov.  His next opportunity starts this weekend at the London Chess Classic, playing against three of the next five players in the rankings: Aronian, Kramnik and reigning World Champion Anand.  The top two Americans are also in action, with Nakamura participating in London and Kamsky bleeding rating points at the ongoing FIDE Grand Prix in Uzbekistan.  Three rounds before the end, the American-born Caruana shares the lead with Karjakin.  By my count, 14 of the top 20 players in the World compete in one of these two current tournaments.

December 2012 FIDE Rating List

Italian GM Fabiano Caruana, born in USA

1. Magnus Carlsen 2848
2. Levon Aronian 2815
3. Vladimir Kramnik 2795
4. Teimour Radjabov 2793
5. Fabiano Caruana 2782
6. Viswanathan Anand 2775
7. Sergey Karjakin 2775
8. Veselin Topalov 2771
9. Vassily Ivanchuk 2766
10. Alexander Grischuk 2764
11. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2764
12. Gata Kamsky 2762
13. Hikaru Nakamura 2760
14. Boris Gelfand 2751
15. Alexander Morozevich 2748
16. Peter Svidler 2747
17. Dmitry Jakovenko 2741
18. Vugar Gashimov 2737
19. Wang Hao 2737
20. Lenier Dominguez 2734

A total of 47 players are rated 2700 and above.

World Youth Medal Ceremony

This 12-minute long video shows the start of the final round and then highlights from the medal ceremony.  Great stuff!  Watch the 13th World Champion steal the show.

• 3:32 - Remarks by Garry Kasparov.
• 5:43 - Christopher Shen got bronze in U8.
• 8:09 - Sam Sevian won gold and Cameron Wheeler earned silver in U12.
• 9:33 - Kayden Troff won gold in U12.

Congratulations once again to the champs.  Here they smile together for the candid camera.

From l to r: Cameron, Sam and Kayden. The future of USA chess?

Meet Magnus Carlsen This Friday!

Coach Carlsen teaching kids at camp in New York (August 2012).

BREAKING NEWS!  Magnus Carlsen, top rated chess player in World, is coming to town! 

Major props to IM David Pruess and Bay Area Chess for organizing the event of the year on short notice.  Believe it or not, the 21-year old Norwegian super-GM will visit Silicon Valley this coming Friday!  The free meet and greet is geared towards children, but a limited number of adults may attend.   

World #1 Magnus Carlsen

• What?  Q&A and Youth Simul
• When?  Friday, November 16, 3:30-4:30pm
• Where?  Silicon Valley Bank at 3003 Tasman Dr in Santa Clara
• GM Carlsen will play a small simul against a few kids selected randomly.
• Refreshments will be provided.   
• Space is limited! Organizers reserve the right to prioritize who may attend based on their best judgement. RSVP only on Facebook. (Now closed.) No walk-ups. Priority for Bay Area Chess members.

Back in 1999, then World Champion Garry Kasparov drew an overflow crowd at Stanford.  His protege Carlsen now stands just 3 points away from breaking Kasparov's all-time record rating of 2851.  For most people, this is a unique opportunity to meet a living legend face-to-face!

Thank you to America's Foundation for Chess and Silicon Valley Bank for sponsoring Carlsen's Bay Area visit.

World Championship Goes to the Wire

Gelfand(W) and Anand (B) play on stage in front of large glass windows.

After the first 10 games, the 2012 World Chess Championship in Moscow is knotted at 5-5.  Only two classical games remain between 15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and Challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel.  At this point, the stress on the combatants is high, as even one bad move would spell disaster.  Who will blink first? 

World Championship Games

1. Anand 1/2 Gelfand -- Gruenfeld (24) - opening surprise leads to small edge
2. Gelfand 1/2 Anand -- Semi-Slav, Meran (25)
3. Anand 1/2 Gelfand -- Neo-Gruenfeld (37) - White has chances with passer
4. Gelfand 1/2 Anand -- Semi-Slav, Meran (34)
5. Anand 1/2 Gelfand -- Sicilian, Pelikan (27)
6. Gelfand 1/2 Anand -- Semi-Slav, Meran (29)
7. Gelfand 1-0 Anand -- Semi-Slav, Meran (38) - beautiful positional squeeze
8. Anand 1-0 Gelfand -- King's Indian (17) - Black missed 17.Qf2, trapping Q
9. Gelfand 1/2 Anand -- Nimzo Indian, Gligoric (49) -- fortress with R+N for Q
10. Anand 1/2 Gelfand -- Sicilian, 3.Bb5 (25)
11. Gelfand 1/2 Anand -- Nimzo Indian, Gligoric (24) 
12. Anand 1/2 Gelfand -- Sicilian, 3.Bb5 (22)

Update May 28: Match is tied 6-6 after 12 classical games.  Tiebreaks on Wednesday.

Make sure to check out the official website for excellent live coverage of the games and daily press conferences.  You may also view the videos later in the day.  Highly recommended!  ChessBase News has great post-game reports.  (All photos in this post come from ChessBase.)  Finally, check out the articles at Chess Life Online, thorough analysis of games 7 and 8 by Grandmaster Ian Rogers and a first-hand account from Moscow by 14-year old master Daniel Gurevich. 

Regardless of the result, both players attend daily press conferences.

The main story of the match to date has been the lack of action.  Eight games were drawn, five in under 30 moves.  In fact, the average length of all 10 rounds was only 31 moves.  While these short games may be of theoretical interest to Grandmasters, only three draws gave the typical chess fan anything worth cheering about (rounds 1, 3 and 10).  Critics may point to a "draw death" of chess due to the high level of opening preparation, especially for Black.  On the other hand, it is always the responsibility of the player who moves first (White) to use the inherent small advantage to the fullest. 

After six draws in a row at the start, White did indeed win two games.  First, Gelfand took advantage of several inaccuracies by Anand to win an instructive positional squeeze.  Just 24 hours later, Anand scored on a terrible mistake by Gelfand, who resigned after 17 moves because the Black Queen got trapped by the unexpected move Qf2.  Alas, the match was tied once again!  Game on!

Garry Kasparov, always blunt in his opinions.

This match appears strange in other ways too.  The 42-year old Champion seems to be beyond his prime after mediocre tournament results pushed him down to #4 on the rating list.  None other than 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov bluntly assessed that Anand has been "sliding downhill these years."  Ouch!!  Perhaps fans will be more understanding when they realize that Anand has stayed near the top of the rating list for 20 years, and coincidentally, played his first title match in 1995 against Kasparov himself! 

The 43-year old Challenger is even older and lower rated.  When was the last time that the #20 player in the World came this close to being the Champion?  In his defense, Gelfand did eliminate an impressive lineup of 2700+ Grandmasters en route to the final: Sergey Karjakin, Ruslan Ponomariov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Gata Kamsky and Alexander Grischuk.  However, top rated Magnus Carlsen and other elite players decided to withdraw from the Candidates Matches due to frequent changes in schedule and conditions imposed by the World Chess Federation FIDE. 

While it cannot be the fault of Anand or Gelfand that they square off for the World Championship, would not a match between #1 Carlsen and #2 Levon Aronian be more exciting?  Methinks yes!

This brings us back to the final two rounds of Anand against Gelfand.  In the old days, title matches required combatants to fight to six wins--and draws didn't count!  Challenger Kasparov and 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov played 48 games in 1984 (including 17 draws in a row).  Controversially, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes aborted the 1984 match because the players were allegedly too tired to continue!  Youth finally prevailed, when Kasparov won the 1985 rematch in 24 games.

The World Championship matches have shrunk ever since.  Kramnik vs Kasparov (2000) and Kramnik vs Topalov (Toilet Gate in 2006) were only 16 games each.  Anand vs Kramnik (2008) went 12 games.  As the matches become shorter, the role of tiebreaks keeps growing.  Check out the battery of rapid and blitz games set for Wednesday, if nobody wins in the last two rounds.  

Tiebreaks if match ends 6-6
(Wednesday starting at 1:00am PDT)

• 4 games of rapid G/25 + 10 second increment
• If still tied, 2 games of blitz G/5 + 10 second increment
• If still tied, repeat blitz up to four more times (10 games total)
• If still tied, play one Armageddon game: White gets 5 minutes, Black gets 4 minutes + draw odds (3 second increment begins at move 61)

While Anand and Gelfand have both demonstrated success at faster time controls, I believe the tiebreak would heavily favor the well-respected speed skills of Anand.  Nonetheless, for the sake of classical chess, I hope that the World Championship does not come down to a blitz or (shudder) Armageddon game!

Levon Aronian Wins Tata 2012

(Giri vs Aronian, the beginning of a brilliancy. Photo from tournament website.)

This weekend, #2 ranked Levon Aronian further established himself among the World elite by taking clear 1st at the 2012 Tata Chess Tournament at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. The Armenian scored 9.0 out of 13, losing twice, but winning an impressive seven games to finish a point ahead of the field. Showing his ability to fight on either side of the board, three of his victories came with the black pieces. Aronian gained 15 FIDE rating points to push his live rating up to 2824, surpassed only by two men ever--Garry Kasparov and the current #1, Magnus Carlsen.

Special congratulations both to Aronian and his former coach, Melik Khachiyan (now living in Southern California). In fact, both Grandmasters have a taste for positional exchange sacrifices, such as move 13 in Giri vs Aronian (round 10).

Three challengers stayed hot on the winner's heels, but could not catch up. As the top seed, Carlsen can be disappointed with plus-3, especially his one defeat. In post game interviews, he criticized his own play, at one point even uttering a profanity. He did manage to hold on to his 2835 rating. Teimour Radjabov was the only player to escape defeat in Tata 2012, bringing his new rating up to 2784. And the young Italian star, Fabiano Caruana, cracked the top 10 of the World with four wins and just one setback, gaining 26 rating points.

Final Standings

• 9.0 Aronian
• 8.0 Carlsen, Radjabov and Caruana
  
• 7.5 Ivanchuk and Nakamura
• 7.0 Kamsky
• 6.5 Karjakin
• 5.5 Van Wely
• 5.0 Topalov, Gashimov and Gelfand
  
• 4.5 Giri and Navara
  

The bottom of the standings included a few surprises. Not so long ago, Veselin Topalov was at the top of his game. However, the Bulgarian lost four times in Wijk aan Zee, winning once. The oldest rated over 2700, Boris Gelfand still expected to score better than minus-3 as he prepares for a title match this May against World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Lastly, the Dutch youngster Anish Giri started out well at 4.0/7, but then lost five in a row to drop into the cellar. I am sure he will be back soon.

The two Americans moved up in the rankings with scores above 50%. Both won three rounds, but Gata Kamsky lost twice while Hikaru Nakamura just once. Nakamura now stands as #6 in the World, behind Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik, Anand and Radjabov.

Let me complete my round-by-round list of favorite games from Group A.

1. Karjakin 0-1 Aronian -- Ruy Lopez closed
2. Aronian 1-0 Nakamura -- Dutch Leningrad
3. Carlsen 1-0 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined + BN vs R endgame
   
4. Navara 0-1 Karjakin -- Ruy Lopez Berlin + pawn endgame
   
5. Nakamura 1-0 Navara -- English Opening, reversed Dragon
6. Gelfand 0-1 Nakamura -- Dutch Leningrad
7. Kamsky 1-0 Navara -- Ruy Lopez Berlin + R and B endgame
8. Giri 0-1 Gashimov -- Sicilian Najdorf, 6.Bg5
9. Ivanchuk 1-0 Giri -- Queen's Gambit Declined + R and N endgame
   
10. Giri 0-1 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined + exchange sacrifice
    
11. Carlsen 1-0 Topalov -- Bb5 Sicilian (Canal-Sokolsky)
    
12. Gelfand 0-1 Aronian -- Queen's Gambit Declined, Petrosian
    
13. Kamsky 1-0 Topalov -- Queen Pawn Game, Indian
    

Study Math or Study Chess? Let's Ask Kasparov.

Hey all ya math and chess nerds! Garry Kasparov was interviewed on TV in Brazil:

I'll give you one example: there was an experience run in Germany by one of the German universities. They had classes, two classes. One had extra hours of mathematics. Another class, the same class, parallel, had extra hours in chess. At the end of the year, they compared the results in... mathematics! The class with chess won. But moreover it's about social integration, because it helps kids to gain some self-esteem, it boosts their attitude, sense of logic.

This sounds all too familiar to me.