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McCain Economics Adviser Has a Grandmaster’s Rank
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Kenneth S. Rogoff, a professor at Harvard, is an economics adviser to the Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, and also a grandmaster.
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Leonard Barden. September 27 2008
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She is the first fashion-model world champion in chess, and possibly the first such in any sport. Alexandra Kosteniuk, 24, beat China's 14-year-old prodigy Hou Yifan 2.5-1.5 in the final in Nalchik in the Caucasus to win the women's title. Kosteniuk, who says that "beauty and intelligence can go together", is articulate, outgoing, runs half-marathons and is mother to a year-old daughter.
Her chess curriculum vitae is impressive. She was a world finalist at age 17, has achieved the grandmaster title at men's level and holds her own in top tournaments such as Moscow's Aeroflot Open. She is the first Russian to hold the women's title since 1962, because the intervening decades were dominated first by Georgians and then by Chinese players.
She describes chess as "the most intelligent and most beautiful game in the world" but it sometimes has an image problem and it could hardly hope for a better ambassador. Her victory could be the cue, for instance, for the English Chess Federation to put on a simultaneous exhibition where she takes on MPs and opinion-formers.
If Kosteniuk is the face of chess in 2008, her opponent represents women's chess for the next decade. Hou Yifan has recently achieved the men's GM title, breaking by two years the female record of Judit Polgar and Humpy Koneru, and played in a classy style in Nalchik until the final where she was tired and/or overawed.
Kosteniuk had winning positions in all four games, but it was game one below which settled the title. White's d5 and g4 plan is dubious (better the space-gaining b4) and Black infiltrates the king-side dark squares in textbook style to force a won ending.
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Russia's big guns
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Russia have announced their team for the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden and it will be highest rated team in the history of the competition with the players having an average rating of 2750 which is equivalent to a current world ranking of 7.
The Russian lineup, with world rankings in brackets is: Vladimir Kramnik (3), Alexander Morozevich (2), Peter Svidler (11), Alexander Grischuk (14) and Dmitry Yakovenko (24)
Grischuk is also making a name for himself as a poker player and recently was placed 33rd out of 619 players and won ?16,000 in the European Poker Tour at Barcelona. The winner took home one million pounds.
Other teams who are likely to challenge at Dresden have also declared their teams.
Armenia: Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Minashe Minasian, Tigran Petrosian (former World Junior champion and no relation to the late world champion)
China: Bu Xiangzhi, Ni Hua, Wang Yue, Wang Hao and Li Chao
Netherlands: Loek van Wely, Jan Smeets, Daniel Stellwagen, Erwin l'Ami, Jan Werle
Ukraine have yet to declare. There have been difficulties between the federation and one or two of the top players in the last so this may explain the delay. If they could field Vasily Ivanchuk, Ruslan Ponomariov and Sergey Karjakin they would be serious contenders.
We saw a lovely attacking game from the new women’s world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk earlier in the week. Here is another from the quarter finals. This sharp line is dangerous for both sides and Nigel Short employed it against Garry Kasparov at their WCC title match in 1993. Kasparov, played 14.Bxd5 although this move also subsequently fell out of favour. 14.Bh7+ has not been seen for some time since Short nearly defeated Ivan Sokolov with black in 1995. This game demonstrates what many had doubtless foreseen, after a forced sequence White’s king is trapped in the centre and perishes there.
A Ushenina – A Kosteniuk
Women’s W Ch (4) Nalchik
Nimzo-Indian
online chess
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Torre triumphant
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Today I pay tribute to Eugenio Torre, one of the big names in chess in the 1970s and 1980s, who has just won a strong Open tournament in his native Philippines at the age of 56. Torre’s success came at the Third President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup held at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Paranaque City. Torre scored 7/9 and was declared the winner on tie break from two of the region’s leading players; Li Chao of China and Zhang Zhong, formerly Chinese but now playing under the flag of Singapore. The world’s youngest GM Wesley So of the Philippines, who has been sweeping all before him recently, only scored 5/9. Torre raced to 6.5/7 before losing to Mikhail Mchedlishvili of Georgia and then secured a draw in his final game against Ghaem Maghami of Iran.
1-3 Torre (Philippines), Li Chao (China), Zhang Zhong(Singapore) 7/9; 4 M. Mchedlishvili (Georgia) 6.5; 5-8 M. Kazhgalayev(Kazakhstan), E. Ghaem Maghami (Iran), M. Paragua (Philippines), M. Dzumaev(Uzbekistan) 6.
Torre became Asia’s first GM in 1974 and has played on top board for the Philippines in nineteen consecutive Olympiads, a record bettered by just a few but at Dresden next month he will be non-playing captain. He competed with distinction in WCC Interzonal tournaments and in 1982 he qualified for the Candidates Matches from the Toluca Interzonal but lost a close contest to Zoltan Ribli the following year.
Steady pressure engenders a suddenly collapse in the following game.
E Torre – J Fedorowicz
San Francisco 1991
Sicilian Rossolimo
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A crown for Kosteniuk
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Alexandra Kosteniuk is the new Women’s World Champion after defeating the Chinese prodigy Hou Yifan 2.5-1.5 in the final at Nalchik in south western Russia. Kosteniuk dominated the match and should have won more comfortably as she stood better in every game. Remarkably, Kosteniuk is the first Russian women's champion since Elisabeth Bykova who held the title from 1958-1962. Georgian women and then Chinese have held sway in the main in the last five decades. Kosteniuk succeeds Xu Yuhua who was eliminated in round two.
At just 14 years of age Hou Yifan would have become the youngest world chess champion in the history of the game indeed I wondered if she might have become the youngest women’s world champion in any sport but clearly her time will come. Ms Kosteniuk’s performance was impressive as she had to overcome several of her main rivals on the way to the title.
However, for the last twenty years or so this competition has always been the search for the second or third best female player as the Polgar sisters have ignored it. Currently Judit Polgar is in another league from any other female player.
A lovely attacking game from the first round. Kosteniuk sweeps aside the solid Petroff Defence.
A Kosteniuk – A Pourkashiyan
Women’s W Ch (1) Nalchik
online chess
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Fashion Model and Grandmaster, and Now World Champion
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 Alexandra Kosteniuk can no longer be called the Anna Kournikova of chess.
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Fashion Model and Grandmaster, and Now World Champion
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Alexandra Kosteniuk can no longer be called the Anna Kournikova of chess.
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Glamorous Russian swimsuit model wins Women's World Chess Championship
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Alexandra Kosteniuk, 23, has worked as a catwalk and swimsuit model to raise the profile of the game.
She also sells sultry semi-clad photographs of herself, and has made a 36-minute video which shows her "doing exercises on Miami beach".
The modelling exploits have raised eyebrows among critics, who believe it distracts from the intellectual importance of chess.
But Miss Kosteniuk has more than proved her talent for the game after being crowned "Queen of Chess" at the women's championships held in Russia.
She said: "Modelling is not a job. It is just a hobby, like reading books.
"I want people to see there is a fun side to chess. It can be made as exciting as soccer or tennis. Things are changing. I am clever, so I can play chess; and I am not so ugly, so I can model."
At 14 years old, Miss Kosteniuk became a chess grandmaster, the youngest woman in the world to attain the title.
She quickly made a name for herself on the international stage by reaching the final of the world championship in 2001, aged 17, and becoming the European champion in 2004.
And at the age of 20 she achieved the International Grandmaster title, becoming the tenth women to have received the highest title awarded by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
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Topalov's late show
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Another storming finish from Veselin Topalov secured the 150,000 Euro first prize in the inaugural Grand Slam Final at Bilbao. In the tenth and final round Topalov overcome Vasily Ivanchuk with some dynamic play from a position many players would have given up as drawn. The three points for a win and one for a draw scoring system ensured Topalov’s two wins in his last three games propelled him into first place. There was another bonus for the former FIDE champion as he moved to number one on the unofficial live rating list.
I was able to witness the innovative arrangements first hand at the Plaza de Nuevo which hosted a unique chess festival for twelve days. The glass ‘Aquarium’ is a remarkable construction that allows the players to concentrate undisturbed while outside there is live commentary and a variety of chess tournaments for amateurs being played during the round. The sound proofing is so effective that the Chief Engineer told me that the players would not be disturbed if a light plane were to land in the square during play.
Round nine results: Radjabov draw Carlsen, Caro Kann; Anand draw Topalov, Caro Kann; Ivanchuk draw Aronian, Ruy Lopez Exchange.
Round ten results: Topalov 1-0 Ivanchuk, Slav Meran; Carlsen draw Anand, Slav Exchange; Aronian 0-1 Radjabov, King’s Indian g3.
Players receive three points for a win
online chess
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BAttery unpowered
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Ring ring knock over your king, that’s the rule nowadays in chess. If a mobile phone sounds the owner loses immediately and it was Nigel Short’s turn to be a victim of this when his phone sounded during his game against former British Ladies Champion Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant in the second round of the EU Championship underway at Liverpool’s World Museum.
Short had recently changed his phone and had switched it off but was undone when the device ran low on power and gave out a fatal warning.
There was another telephonic tragedy a few days ago in round six of the Russian High League as Vladimir Malakhov the number one seed was defaulted in a completely won position when his mobile sounded. I also witnessed yet another variation on this theme in Crete recently. Play started at 5.30 pm. After two hours a phone belonging to a player on a board adjacent to me sounded. Like Short’s phone this one was also disconnected but the owner had wrongly set his early morning alarm call to 7.30 in the evening.
The EU Championship is being hosted for the second time by the World Museum, it was also held there in 2006. Additional support has been provided by the Mersey Partnership, Liverpool John Moores University and the Liverpool Capital of Culture Company.
After three rounds England number one Michael Adams and the British Champion Stuart Conquest, whose fine form in Liverpool in obviously continuing, were in the group on maximum points.
online chess
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Space Station to Mission Control: It’s Your Move
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 Greg Chamitoff, an American stationed aboard the International Space Station, has managed to find time for a few games of chess.
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Russian bears play hard
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The 4th European Union Championship is underway at the World Museum in Liverpool. The ten-round Swiss tournament runs until 18 September and is the latest in a series of prestigious events which have been organised by Professor David Robertson as part of the Liverpool 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations. The line up is fantastic and we are spoiled by the sight of England’s top two players competing in the same event on these shores for the second time in a month. This must be the strongest Swiss tournament held in the UK since the heyday of the Lloyds Bank Masters in the 1990s.
England number one Michael Adams is top seed followed by France’s leading two players; Etienne Bacrot and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Nigel Short, Sergei Tiviakov, Daniel Fridman who won an Open at Liverpool last year, Erwin L'Ami and former world title Candidate Alexander Beliavsky. Most of the leading British players will be competing including David Howell and British champion Stuart Conquest.
The Russian Higher League is always tremendously competitive as it acts as a qualifier for the Russian Championship. Here are a couple of brutal encounters.
A Rustemov (2547) – A Lastin (2639)
61st Russian Ch High League Novokuznetsk (1)
Semi Slav
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Carlsen cracks Dragon
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The Women’s World Championship has reached the quarter final stage at the south western Russian city of Nalchik. Despite the early elimination of the reigning champion Xu Yuhua, China has two players left including the 14 year old Hou Yifan, their national champion and the world’s highest rated girl.
The fashion model and film star Alexandra Kosteniuk is the only player remaining from the host country. Ms Kosteniuk is playing her first major tournament since she gave birth to her first child.
The pairings are: Kosteniuk (Russia) – Ushenina (Ukraine); Koneru (India) – Shen Yang (China); Mkrtchian (Armenia) – Hou Yifan (China); Stefanova (Bulgaria) – Cramling (Sweden).
Humpy Koneru won handily in game one.
H Koneru - Shen Yang
WCh-Women Nalchik (4.1)
Slav Defence
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Federal Lawsuit Against Chess Officials Is Dismissed in Dispute Over Online Messages
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A lawsuit against the governing body of chess in the United States and some of its members was dismissed last week, but the dispute is not about to go away.
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Georgia Conflict Resounds at Chess Championships
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Nine of the 64 women who qualified for the women’s world chess championship being held in Russia including six from Georgia are boycotting the tournament.
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Saluting the Game’s Greats in Events Named for Them
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One consequence of the rich written history of chess is that the game’s titans are remembered and celebrated long after they have died.
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Greed is good
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Veselin Topalov emerged as the new leader of the 400,000 Euro Grand Slam Final in Bilbao as he tempted the teenage prodigy Magnus Carlsen into an over-optimistic pawn sacrifice and then demonstrated the art of chess materialism.
Topalov’s play was very impressive as he smoothly exchanged into the endgame, centralised his king and prepared to advance his majority on the queenside. It was all textbook stuff. Carlsen had one chance to regain the pawn but would still have been slightly worse but after he rejected this he was given no further opportunities to save himself.
With Black’s extra pawn set to advance Carlsen gave up another but could not delay the inevitable for long and he resigned on move 56.
Round three results
Radjabov draw Ivanchuk, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Ingenious defence by Ivanchuk held what looked a difficult position;
Aronian draw Anand, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Aronian gave up rook for bishop and passed a pawn in the endgame but Anand held easily enough;
Carlsen 0-1 Radjabov, Queen’s Gambit Tartakower
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Edgy Anand plays it safe
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The world champion Vishy Anand looked nervous as he played a safe line that led to an uneventful draw in the second round of the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao. Anand had a lucky escape in the first round and with his world title defence against Vladimir Kramnik on his mind he may be struggling to play at his best. However there is plenty of time and Anand may stir in the later rounds.
Veselin Topalov has also drawn twice and he never looked like breaking down the solid Slav Defence produced by Levon Aronian. Indeed Black was about to get a serious attack when Topalov forced perpetual check. The 17 year old Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen stuck to his guns again and produced his favourite risky line of the Sicilian Dragon. Vasily Ivanchuk is never one to shirk a challenge like that and one sacrifice followed another until Carlsen also forced perpetual. It’s entirely possible that the youngster had foreseen all the complications at home.
Players receive three points for a win.
Scores:
1 Carlsen 4;
2-5 Anand, Ivanchuk, Topalov, Radjabov 2;
6 Aronian 1
V Ivanchuk – M Carlsen
Grand Slam Final Bilbao (2)
Sicilian Dragon
online chess
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Time waits for no man
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A lively first round entertained the spectators staring in at the glass playing hall as the Grand Slam Final got underway in Bilbao. The players seemed unaffected by the novelty of playing in the street in an air conditioned and silent shell and there were three interesting games. The six players are competing for a prize fund of 400,000 Euros, a record for an event of this type.
The 17 year old Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen made a winning start from an unpromising position but he managed to break the shackles on his position imposed by Levon Aronian who sacrificed a pawn to establish a dominating pair of bishops and some pressure on open files. The single drawback was that there was no obvious weakness in Carlsen’s position and when Aronian gave up another pawn to create one something had clearly gone wrong. Both White bishops were exchanged and only one pawn recovered which left Carlsen a pawn ahead and his technique in the queen and pawn endgame was excellent.
Teimour Radjabov sacrificed a pawn against Veselin Topalov who returned it to reach a drawn endgame that under Sofia Rules, with draw offers not permitted, they played on to king v king. The game between Vishy Anand the world champion and Vasily Ivanchuk, the man in form was most eagerly awaited. Anand lost his way in the ition after main lines of the Marshall Attack with white and soon reached a prospectless position. Ivanchuk won a pawn but even with a safer king he was unable to convert his advantage.
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People in glass houses...
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An outstanding festival of chess is prospect at the Grand Slam Final underway in the Basque City of Bilbao. Six of the world’s finest players, who qualified by virtue of their performances at the three events which made up the rest of the Grand Slam will fight for a prize fund of 400,000 Euros. The qualifying events were Corus Wijk aan Zee, Linares and MTel Sofia. All six are ranked in the world’s top dozen with the field headed by the world champion Vishy Anand for whom this is the last competitive outing before he defends his title against Vladimir Kramnik.
The most innovative feature of the event is that it will take place in the street but that does not mean the spectators will be allowed to kibitz and there is no risk of rain stopping play as a large glass playing hall complete with areas for commentators and spectators has been constructed in the Plaza Nueva, in the centre of Bilbao's Old Town. To encourage fighting chess, players will score three points for a win and one for a draw. In addition the ‘Sofia Rules’ which forbid draw offers will be in force.
The main event and the numerous side tournaments and exhibitions are being supported by the City of Bilbao the Basque Government, BBK Bank and Euskaltel.
online chess
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Vasily the victorious
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Vasily Ivanchuk made it a wonderful double at the Tal Memorial as he added the Blitz tournament to his burgeoning list of tournament successes. Ivanchuk scored 23.5/34 to finish a point ahead of Vladimir Kramnik with Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen third on 21. Anatoly Karpov scored 14/34.
The 34 Blitz games were played over two days as each player took on all his rivals with both colours and five minutes each on the clock
Ivanchuk started the tournament with a defeat to qualifier Boris Grachev but lost only one mini match, to Peter Leko while defeating four of his opponents, including Alexander Morozevich, with both colours. Ivanchuk’s win was secured by 1.5-0.5 match wins against his closest rivals.
To get an idea of how incredibly tough this competition you only to consider that Vladeslav Tkachiev, regarded as one of the world’s finest blitz players, came last.
S Karjakin – S Mamedyarov
Tal Memorial Blitz Moscow (1)
Ruy Lopez
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Dealing in Chess Futures? Bet on This Norwegian
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 Magnus Carlsen stands out for more than just his age. His style and sang-froid can wilt an opponent.
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Ivanchuk seals victory
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Vasily Ivanchuk secured victory at the Tal Memorial in Moscow with a short draw in the ninth and final round against Alexey Shirov. Ivanchuk played a simplifying line against the Queen’s Gambit Accepted that gives Black no chances to play for a win and Shirov was doubtless pleased to end the tournament without a fifth defeat as he finished last. Ivanchuk’s margin of victory was a full point which is exceptional in a nine round event of this standard. A pawn sacrifice yields Black a strong initiative in this game from the Jessie Gilbert Celebration International run by the Coulsdon Chess Foundation which ended in victory or Ukrainian GM Alexsanar Berelovich. Online chess
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Ivanchuck surges to lead
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Alexander Morozevich was defeated by Vasily Ivanchuk in the seventh round of the Tal Memorial. Morozevich’s sojourn at the top of the unofficial live rating list was short lived and it is Ivanchuk, on 5/7 who is now half a point ahead with two to play. Morozevich sacrificed two pawns but only had enough compensation for one and his grim resistance ended in the king and pawn endgame. There was further evidence of Vladimir Kramnik’s poor form as he gained a clear advantage against Boris Gelfand but then played a combination in which Gelfand found a tactical flaw and the former world champion was then fortunate to escape with half a point. This was the only draw of a very entertaining round that saw the Gata Kamsky and Alexey Shirov lose again to Peter Leko and Evgeny Alexeev respectively. The Rising Stars v Experience match at Amsterdam has been horribly one sided. Artur Yusupov, Evgeny Bareev, Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Simen Agdestein and Viktor Korchnoi are suffering at the hands of Fabiano Caruana, Ivan Cheparinov, Erwin L’Ami, Daniel Stellwagen and Wang Yue who started with 5/5. Korchnoi scored the first win for the old hands in the fifth round. Things started badly for Yusupov.
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Shock of the new
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Alexander Morozevich swatted the former Fide Champion Ruslan Ponomariov off the board in the sixth round of the Tal Memorial, maintained his lead, and moved to the top of the unofficial live rating list, at least for today.
Morozevich played a new move in the opening, and when his opponent was unable to adapt to the changed situation on the board he was close to beaten after only 11 moves. The last 20 moves of the 37-move game were superfluous. Online chess
A Morozevich (2788) – R Ponomariov (2718)
Tal Memorial Moscow (6)
Nimzo Indian
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Send in the pawns
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An England junior team is competing with success at the World Under 16 Olympiad at Mersin in Turkey. Despite being younger than most of the other teams and considerably out-rated by many, the team climbed as high at joint fourth before succumbing to a very highly rated team from Azerbaijan. The ninth round won’t provide any respite as their next opponents are the Philippines who have the world’s youngest GM, Wesley So, on top board.
England are represented by Yang Fan Zhou, Callum Kilpatrick, Felix Ynojosa, Subin Sen and Elliot Auckland.
Peter Leko joined Alexander Morozevich at the head of the Tal Memorial at Moscow after five of the nine rounds. Leko defeated Ruslan Ponomariov to reach 3.5/5 after producing a strong novelty in the opening which was a Marshall Attack against the Ruy Lopez. Leko returned the gambit pawn to reach a favourable endgame with two bishops against bishop and knight.
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India Emerges as Powerhouse in a Game It May Have Created
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Many from India, a country once not known for strong players, have followed the current world champion, Viswanathan Anand, to the upper ranks.
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Morozevich surge
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Alexander Morozevich has won both of his games with the white pieces and leads the Tal Memorial at Moscow with four rounds played. Morozevich is currently ranked world number two behind Vishy Anand may well become the number one at this event after he outplayed the 13th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik in the third round in the game below.
After losing his first three games Alexey Shirov managed to get off the mark.
There was some irony in this game. Kramnik’s defeat of Shirov in the first round finally brought him to a plus score against an opponent with whom he has often had difficulty. However Shirov still haunted him two rounds later as Morozevich employed a line developed by Shirov and fellow Latvian Alexander Shabalov to good effect. Kramnik and Shirov have not been on good terms since Kramnik lost a World Championship qualifier to Shirov in 1998 but after a match could not be organised, Kramnik was selected as Kasparov’s title challenger in 2000 and became the fourteenth world champion.
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Full might in Moscow
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Vladimir Kramnik was one of three winners in the first round of the Tal Memorial underway in Moscow.
The full line up is: Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Evgeny Alekseev (Russia), Vassily.Ivanchuk (Ukraine) Alexey Shirov (Spain) Gata.Kamsky (USA), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Shakriyaz Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Peter Leko (Hungary), Boris Gelfand (Israel). The prize fund is $100,000 with $30,000 to the winner.
Kramnik defeated Alexey Shirov with the white pieces while Vasily Ivanchuk crushed Gata Kamsky who never recovered from his dubious position in the opening. In the Gruenfeld Defence pressure against the d4 square is essential else White can place his pieces optimally behind his pawn centre and then advance.
Kamsky's plan of Nfd7 unmasking the bishop on g7 is usually employed against the Russian System where White plays Qb3 early on and after black takes on c4 and the white queen recaptures it is a target for the knight after Nf6-d7-b6. Kamsky reaches a position from that line but with Ivanchuk having played the extra move Rc1 which is extremely useful.
online chess.
V Ivanchuk (2781) - G Kamsky (2723)
Tal Memorial Moscow (1)
Gruenfeld Defence
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Adams holds onto trophy
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Michael Adams won the Staunton Memorial for the second successive year as he ensured that Loek van Wely, half a point behind at start of play, had no opportunities to score the victory he required to overhaul him. Adams played white and he is unbeaten at Simpsons in the Strand in three years when playing with the advantage of the first move. Simpsons is the traditional home of chess in London where gentlemen used to smoke cigars and play chess in the Grand Divan in the nineteenth century.
Adams played a solid line against the Sicilian and as playing for a win with black entails great risk, Van Wely agreed to a draw. Jan Smeets defeated Alexander Cherniaev, his third win in a row and he finished clear third.
The 6th Staunton Memorial was the strongest all play all tournament in England for over twenty years and was supported again by the Dutch chess enthusiast Jan Mol and organized by the Staunton Society, dedicated to celebrating the life of Howard Staunton who was the world’s strongest player in the middle of the 19th century and gave his name to the pieces in most common use today.
Once again Adams was the only player who prevented total domination by the Dutch players. If one counts Alexander Cherniaev as an honorary Englishman the overall score was 27.5-38.5
Bob Wade had his chances in a few games but at 87 years old he was the most senior player ever to compete at this level.
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