fpawn chess blog: Wesley So

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Sunday, January 8

PRO Chess League Kicks Off

After 11 seasons, the internet-based US Chess League has expanded into the PRO Chess League. There are three major differences between the two leagues. While the USCL had teams from all corners of the United States, the PCL will be an international affair with teams from five of the seven continents: North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. To attract greater spectator interest, games will be played at a rapid time control of G/15 + 2 second increment. Players from one team will face all four from the other team, for a total of 16 games. Finally, each team may field one "Free Agent" in their weekly lineup, in addition to three local players, as long as the average rating does not exceed 2500 FIDE.

Perhaps most exciting is that the PRO Chess League promises to showcase several elite chess players of the world! Indeed five of the top 7 on the January 2017 FIDE list will participate.

#1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
#2 Fabiano Caruana (Montreal)
#4 Wesley So (Saint Louis)
#5 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Marseille)
#7 Hikaru Nakamura (Miami)
#13 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (San Jose)
#22 Lenier Dominguez (Miami)
#29 Li Chao (Montreal)

Two Bay Area squads have registered among 48 total entries from around the world. The San Francisco Mechanics, organized by the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club, were one of the founding members of the USCL. Grandmasters Patrick Wolff and Vinay Bhat will lead the way, backed up by International Masters Yian Liou, Cameron Wheeler (IM-elect) and Teddy Coleman. Youth will be served by four high school students: Cameron, FM Rayan Taghizadeh, FM Josiah Stearman and NM Siddharth Banik.

The other local team was formed by Bay Area Chess to represent Silicon Valley. The San Jose Hackers, among the highest rated in the league, feature a quintet of Grandmasters headlined by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, ranked #3 in the world on the rapid rating list. The other GMs are Rauf Mamedov, Daniel Naroditsky, Zviad Izoria and Cristian Chirila. The San Jose roster also includes two IM-elects and a trio of juniors: NM Teemu Virtanen, NM Ivan Ke and 10 year old NM Christopher Yoo.

Both Bay Area squads will compete in the Red Division against other American cities in the Central and Pacific time zones. Indeed the locals square off head-to-head in round 2 on January 18! The competition will be stiff, with the Saint Louis Arch Bishops, Webster Windmills, Rio Grande Ospreys and Dallas Destiny all fielding strong rosters. The other three sections are the Blue Division (Eastern time zone plus Canada and South America), Green Division (Europe, Asia and Africa) and the Orange Division (Europe and Africa). Click here for a list of players for all 48 teams.

Matches take place every Wednesday on Chess.com, starting on January 11. Since the matches consists of four mini rounds and 16 games total, a whopping 384 rapid games will be completed each week. The pairings for the first six weeks have been predetermined. The seventh week (February 22) will be a playoff positioning round. During the playoffs, each division crowns a champion. The division winners will square off in semifinals on Saturday, March 25 and a final on Sunday, March 26. The four division champions are guaranteed at least $3,000 from the prize fund and the league champion wins $20,000!

Good luck to both the San Francisco Mechanics and San Jose Hackers in the inaugural season of the PRO Chess League!

PRO Chess League Links

Thursday, September 10

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

Tuesday, May 12

Fabiano Caruana Returns to Team USA

Fabiano Caruana (Photo: Best of Chess)

Current World #3 Fabiano Caruana announced today that he will switch federations to represent the United States in international competitions. Born in Miami and raised in New York City, the 22 year old and his family moved to Europe to further his career as a budding chess professional. Since he holds dual citizenship, he switched to Italian federation with little difficulty. In the past two years, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and main sponsor Rex Sinquefield made little secret of their desire to bring Fabiano back home. The paperwork should be completed by fall, and we can expect to see Caruana at both the 2016 US Championship and the 2016 Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Starring three of the Top 10 players on the planet, Team USA can expect to be seeded second at next summer's Olympiad, right behind the Russians. The national team continues to become both younger and stronger. Check out the following possible lineup.

Fabiano Caruana 2803, age 22
Hikaru Nakamura 2799, age 27
Wesley So 2778, age 21
Ray Robson 2680, age 20
Sam Shankland 2656, age 23

Average = 2743 FIDE, age 23!

N.B.: Gata Kamsky retired from international team competition, and Alexander Onischuk may step aside too. Three more young Grandmasters could compete for the final two roster spots, including Alex Lenderman, Daniel Naroditsky, and another newcomer Yaroslav Zherebukh.

Tuesday, May 5

Youth Movement for Team USA

Shankland draws with Armenia's top board Levon Aronian at World Team.

The USA National Team for chess is undergoing an extreme makeover, with youngsters replacing the old guard of the past decade. Just look at the USA Top 10 list. Start with two players near the pinnacle of the world rankings. Then ask Who's on Third? Add to the mix a talented new kid from Ukraine who officially changed federations in the past week. Now observe that 6 of the 10 are 25 years old or younger.

Indeed, the 2015 US champion Hikaru Nakamura can suddenly himself a veteran at the tender age of 27. Since former champion Gata Kamsky already announced his retirement from international play, and Alexander Onischuk cannot be far behind, it appears likely that the American squad at next year's Chess Olympiad will average under 25 years!

USA Top 10 - May FIDE Rating

Naroditsky in deep thought at World Team.

#4 Hikaru Nakamura 2799, age 27
#7 Wesley So 2778, age 21
#64 Ray Robson 2674, age 20
#65 Gata Kamsky 2673, age 40
#71 Alexander Onischuk 2662, age 39
#91 Sam Shankland 2656, age 23
#128 Yaroslav Zherebukh 2639, age 21
#131 Alex Lenderman 2636, age 25
#141 Varuzhan Akobian 2632, age 31
#165 Daniel Naroditsky 2622, age 19

Wednesday, April 1

Meet the Players at US Championship

The 2015 US Championship kicked off this afternoon at the posh Saint Louis chess club. Over the next fortnight, twelve Grandmasters will compete for the national title, playing each competitor once. Rounds begin daily at 11AM Pacific time and take about 4 to 5 hours (rest day on April 6). The winner pockets $45,000 out of the $175,000 prize fund. Even last place nets $4,000. The superb playing conditions and generous prizes are possible through the continued sponsorship of club founders Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield.

The playing field includes the top eight Americans on the current FIDE rating list, including two of the world Top 10 and six of the Top 100. The showdowns between favorites, contenders and dark horses mark an exciting time for US chess. I have broken down the field below, including short remarks about each of the invitees. All ratings and rankings are FIDE.

Click for live coverage with video commentary by Grandmasters Seirawan and Ashley.

Favorites -- Guys expected to battle for the Title

Hikaru Nakamura (2798, world #3) A 3-time US Champion and highest rated American ever, Nakamura hopes to demonstrate his superiority over rivals new and old. Although solidly in the older half of the field, his uncompromising style endears him to many chess fans
Wesley So (2788, world #8) The new kid on the block plans to build an impressive share of second at Wijk aan Zee, showing his talent to fans in America as well as his native Philippines. Well prepared in openings, So strives to milk points from the tiniest of advantages.

Contenders -- Ready to jump if the Favorites slip

Sam Shankland

Gata Kamsky (2680, world #63) The champion in four of last five years, Kamsky struggled in 2014 and plays in the twilight of a storied chess career. Indeed, he qualified as a candidate for the world championship in 1993, before four of his fellow competitors were born!
Sam Shankland (2661, world #84) Born and raised in the East Bay, Shanky learned his moves at the Berkeley Chess School. Gold for his board at the Tromsø Olympiad became his calling card, but hardly his only success. He is aggressive and deadly as white, yet solid as black.

Dark Horses -- Grown up Young Stars ready to fight

Daniel Naroditsky

Ray Robson (2656, world #94) A prodigy who grew up playing chess, Robson is now a key member of the elite Webster U team. After slumping, he recently broke into the world Top 100.
Daniel Naroditsky (2640) Already a world champion at 12 years old, Danya grew up on the 64 squares. Not merely a player, the incoming Stanford freshman is an author and aspiring historian. Solid yet multidimensional, he strives to measure himself against the best.

Wily Veterans -- When Experience matters, they're the best

Alex Onischuk (2665, world #75) The US Champion in 2006, Onischuk has spent a decade as one of the Top 5 Americans. He already transitioned to coaching and works at Texas Tech.
Varuzhan Akobian (2622) After years playing in the US Championship and Olympiad, Akobian has become a seasoned veterans. With inspiration and luck, he can still derail anyone.

Young Stars -- Not yet Contenders, but can beat anyone

Sam Sevian (2548) Bay Area chess fans will recall just a few years ago, this precocious kid rubbed elbows at local tournaments. Now the youngest Grandmaster in US history, Sevian has bigger fish to fry. What he may lack in experience, he makes up in energy and enthusiasm.
Kayden Troff (2544) The strongest chess player from the state of Utah continues to improve. Already a Grandmaster, Troff dominated the 2014 US Junior to earn his invitation.

Pretenders -- Only need a kick in the rear and a little Luck

Timur Gareev (2599) The free-wheeling and outgoing Grandmaster of blindfold exhibitions brings plenty of flair to Saint Louis. While erratic, he is capably of brilliance in every game.
Conrad Holt (2525) Winner of the 2014 US Open, the UT Dallas student is the lowest rated participant this year. Thunder Holt prefers insanely complicated positions and rarely draws.

The concurrent 2015 US Women's Championship features a defending champion aiming to win her fourth straight crown against a 12-player field that welcomes five newcomers. Top rated GM Irina Krush (2477 FIDE) is the overwhelming favorite as she pursues her sixth national title. In the absence of chief rival IM Anna Zatonskih, the next highest rating belongs to IM Nazi Paikidze (2333), a recent immigrant from the country of Georgia. Other challengers include two experienced competitors: IM Rusudan Goletiani (2311) and WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2301). The youngest invitees are 13-year old WFM Jennifer Yu and 12 year old WIM Annie Wang, a pair of gold medalists at international youth championships last year. A first place award of $20,000 highlights the record $75,000 ladies prize fund.

Tuesday, March 31

Learning Chess from the Best

Two World Champions: Hou Yifan and Magnus Carlsen. Credit: Alina L' Ami

Editor's Note: I first published this article about two years ago. The thoughts remain vivid and relevant today. If you are rated 1800 or higher and struggling to move to the next level, please take the following advice to heart. Good luck!

One of the best ways to improve in chess is to study master games. I strongly encourage any student rated 1800+ to regularly review the games of recent elite Grandmaster tournaments. Watch some of the world elite or pick your own favorites. Bay Area fans might follow American top players Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So, or perhaps local prodigies Sam Shankland and Daniel Naroditsky. Chinese families, for example, may cheer for Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi or 15-year old talent Wei Yi, currently the youngest player over 2700. Those with ties to India may prefer former world champion Vishy Anand.

What should you pick from these games? A typical A player can learn from the positional strategies and tactical creativity of the super Grandmasters. As you improve, you should attempt to mimic the strengths of your superiors. Experienced experts and masters know to focus on their favorite openings, picking up new variations based on the latest trends. You will find out that the strongest players pick mainstream openings simply because they offer the best chances to win.

In some sense, growth of the internet has diminished the importance of studying collections of games by the champions of yesteryear. Nonetheless, any true disciple of Caissa should read some of the classics, e.g. Alekhine's Best Games of Chess, Life and Games of Mikhail Tal and My Sixty Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer. You should also take advantage of the expanding wealth of information online to supplement the foundation presented in these books. The modern chess student benefits from the many resources at his fingertips.

My favorite website to watch tournaments is, of course, the Internet Chess Club (ICC). You can find quality event coverage, analysis, photos and videos elsewhere too, including Chess Life Online, Chessbase, Chess.com, Chess24, Chessdom, and TWIC. The MonRoi and CCA websites broadcast the top boards at many major American tournaments. The CCSCSL in Saint Louis offers a wealth of content, from live coverage of the US Championship to dozens of YouTube lectures.

Upcoming Major Events

US Championship in Saint Louis, April 1-12
Gashimov Memorial in Azerbaijan, April 16-25
World Team Championship in Armenia, April 19-28
FIDE Grand Prix in Russia, May 13-27
Norway Chess, June 15-27
Dortmund Chess Classic, June 27 - July 5
Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, August 23 - September 4
World Cup in Azerbaijan, starts on September 10

Sunday, March 22

Top Grandmasters to Play at US Champ

Hikaru Nakamura

Wesley So

The 2015 US Championship kicks off in a week, promising an exciting battle for first featuring two of the World Top 10 and six of the World Top 100. Check out the USCF Top 20 below. Bay Area Grandmasters Sam Shankland and Daniel Naroditsky, both now rated over 2700 USCF, continue their steady climb! Click on the links to visit their personal websites.

USCF Top 20 - April 2015

1.	Nakamura, Hikaru	NY	2881	World #3
2.	So, Wesley	MN	2841	World #8
3.	Kamsky, Gata	NY	2762	World #61	+ reigning champ
4.	Robson, Ray	MO	2750	World #96
5.	Onischuk, Alexander	TX	2747	World #73
6.	Shankland, Sam	CA	2742	World #88
7.	Naroditsky, Daniel	CA	2724
8.	Lenderman, Aleksandr	NY	2706
9.	Akobian, Varuzhan	CA	2703
10.	Gareyev, Timur	NV	2688
11.	Stripunsky, Alexander	NJ	2676
12.	Ramirez, Alejandro	TX	2675
13.	Christiansen, Larry	MA	2661
14.	Erenburg, Sergey	VA	2655
15.	Shulman, Yury	IL	2649
16.	Sevian, Samuel	MA	2642
17.	Benjamin, Joel	NJ	2629
18.	Troff, Kayden	UT	2625
19.	Hess, Robert	NY	2621
20.	Becerra, Julio	FL	2619

Wednesday, January 7

Happy New Year 2015!!

Bright winter day in the Austrian Alps.

Wishing Everyone Many Brilliant Moves for 2015!

The first Bay Area chess event of 2015 is in the books. The New Year Championship drew 180 players to the San Francisco Airport Hyatt for $13,000 in prizes. Elite Chinese Grandmaster Xiangzhi Bu dominated the strong Open section, finishing a full point ahead of the other two GMs. Yours truly finished with a respectable but unsatisfying performance. Click here for USCF rated results.

The largest local adult tournament of the year is just 10 days away! The Golden State Open, which attracted almost 300 participants a year ago, guarantees a $25,000 prize fund. Note that this event moved 25 miles south from Concord to the Dublin-Pleasanton Holiday Inn, near BART. Register soon and view the advance entries at ChessAction.com.

If you enjoy following top level international chess festivals, then you're in luck! The Tata Steel Tournament at Wijk aan Zee (Netherlands) begins this weekend. The Masters section features World Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway plus four more of the Top 10: Italian-American Fabiano Caruana, defending champion Levon Aronian of Armenia, Dutch-Russian Anish Giri, and the young American immigrant (from the Philippines) Wesley So. The Challengers include the Czech David Navara, the young Chinese star Wei Yi, and a pair of American Grandmasters with strong ties to the Bay Area: Orinda native Sam Shankland and the now 14-year old prodigy Sam Sevian. Each section is a 14-player round-robin, meaning 13 rounds, beginning on Saturday at 4:30am PST. Make sure to check out the live internet coverage when you wake up (especially Twitter and Instagram).

Happy New Year to All!

Saturday, January 11

Tata Kicks Off At Wijk aan Zee

Amateurs play in same big room as elite Grandmasters in Wijk aan Zee.

Dating back to the 1970s, the beginning of each new calendar year promised a pair of elite chess tournaments: one in the coastal Dutch town of Wijk aan Zee and the other in the Andalusian city of Linares. Both attracted the strongest Grandmasters on the planet, e.g. Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Carlsen. Unfortunately, the Spanish financial crisis claimed Linares as a casualty in 2011. However, the steel conglomerate Tata maintained the tradition at Wijk, despite a shrinking budget that reduced the number of participants this year to 12 (from 14) and the number of Top 10 players to merely 5.

The small decrease in size does in no way signify a decrease in the relevance of Tata Steel Chess. Ten players rated over 2700 will battle over the next fortnight (through January 26). These Grandmasters will author many thrilling games for audiences around the world to enjoy.

Indeed, these games yield worthwhile study material for any serious chess master (or wannabe master). Any young or aspiring player rated over 1800 should take the time each day to review the latest games (up to 13 per round, counting the Challengers section). Check out your favorite players or openings. Try to learn from the middlegame maneuvers and endgame technique. Ask yourself if you could play like the Grandmasters. At the Internet Chess Club, go to the Events list under the Window menu or in the Activities console to find the games and daily videos. Or visit the official website, which features instant analysis by the Houdini 2 engine.

Hikaru Nakamura

Tata Masters (A section)

Titles: 12 Grandmasters, including 5 of the Top 10
Average Rating = 2743 FIDE
Favorites: Aronian, Nakamura, Caruana and Karjakin
Americans: Nakamura, Caruana (Italy-USA) and Wesley So (Philippines-USA)
Comment: Despite the conspicuous absence of World Champion Carlsen plus ex-Champs Kramnik and Anand, the competitive field still features #2 ranked Aronian and #3 Nakamura.

Tata Challengers (B section)

Titles: 10 Grandmasters plus 4 International Masters (norms are possible)
Average Rating = 2579 FIDE
Favorites: Wojtaszek, Jobava, Yangyi Yu and Saric
American: Kayden Troff (Utah)
Comment: There is no clear favorite as several young (and underrated) wolves try to make their name. Indeed, 2 of top 3 seeds lost in the very first round!