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His style is of extraordinary fineness, and his knowledge of the game can hardly be surpassed by any living player. Emanuel Lasker in the Neues Wiener Tageblatt, given on page 49 of the February 1914 BCM |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club Newsletter 2) FIDE Elections 3) US Championship 4) Jeremy Silman on Chess.FM 5) Frank Marshall Game 6) Karpov Chess School to continue in Lindsborg 7) Games from Gibralter 8) Upcoming Events |
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The MI Chess club will be hosting the 6th Annual Henry Gross Memorial this Saturday starting at 10am. Note that starting in March all MI G/45 events will be rated full K as the USCF is discontinuing the 1/2 K option. 1) Mechanics' Institute Club NewsUpsets galore was the theme of the 6th Annual Henry Gross Memorial held this past Saturday. Sixth seed Batsaikhan Tserendorj of Ulan Bator and Oakland, scored 5-0 to win the event by a full point over a field of 40 including 10 over 2000. Tying for second at 4, in the G/45 event held this past Saturday, were FM Emmanuel Perez, NM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, NMs Oleg Shakhnazarov and Art Wang ( a win over top-seed FM Ron Cusi), and B-player Nelson Sowell. Nelson, rated 1732 going into the event, lost to US Championship qualifier Batchimeg Tuvshintugs in round one but then bounced back to win all his remaining games beating players with an average rating of 2000 the last three games. Well done Nelson! It will be a battle between youth and experience this week when Winter Tuesday Night Marathon leaders veteran Victor Ossipov and teenager Drake Wang square off tomorrow evening. The two leaders have 4 from 4, half a point ahead of Chad Salinas and NMs Igor Margulis and Paul Gallegos. Book and equipment donations to the Mechanics' are always welcome. All donations to the Mechanics' are tax deductible due to the M.I.'s 501(c) (3) nonprofit status. If you have any chess books or equipment that have been lying around unused for some time consider donating to the Mechanics'. You will not only get a tax write off but also the satisfaction of seeing things put to good use. 2) FIDE ElectionsNewsletter 281 had brief coverage of the upcoming FIDE elections. This issue we offer a comprehensive look at what may be the most important campaign in the history of the organization thanks to Alexander Baburin, the founder and guiding light of Chess Today. The online daily, which offers tournament reports, instructional articles, book reviews, annotated games and more is available for a subscription price of 15 euro for 3 months. For further details please refer to http://www.chesstoday.net . On FIDE President and Forthcoming Elections by GM Alex Baburin As many of our readers will know, elections for the FIDE President will take place during the Chess Olympiad in Turin in May. There, the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will compete for votes with several other candidates. Among them are Dutch businessman Bessel Kok and French chess organiser Leo Battesti. Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov also hinted that he might run for FIDE President. Today I'd like to look at this election. First, a bit of history. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was elected in 1996.FIDE was practically bankrupt then and as Ilyumzhinov promised to pump millions into chess, his election was pretty much assured. Ilyumzhinov made his fortune in the muddy waters of Russian business in 1980s and 1990s. He later became President of Kalmykia, a small autonomous republic within the Russian Federation, located near the Caspian Sea. Both in politics and in chess Ilyumzhinov likes to shock. For example, at some point he declared his intention to run for Russian President. He bought a soccer club.He wanted to stage a Karpov-Kamsky match in Baghdad. He wants to bring the body of Lenin to Elista. He claimed to have put aside $50m for world chess championships. He started, together with infamous Russian businessman Artiom Tarasov, FIDE Commerce Ltd. Many of those projects failed. But it is true that Ilyumzhinov brought considerable sums into chess, enabling many chess pros to make a decent living from his knockout tournaments. Professional players have mixed feelings about Ilyumzhinov and his reign. Many appreciate that fact that he spent his own money on chess. Many dislike his authoritarian rule.The latter manifested itself very clearly before the FIDE World Championship in Libya. Most are against his team in FIDE.Personally, I feel that Ilyumzhinov has always been a part-time FIDE President. He obviously needs this title, if he was prepared to pay for it. Probably it gives him extra protection (head of a large international organization!) in the turbulent and dangerous world of Russian business and politics. He tries to have an impact on chess, but his efforts are sporadic and usually short-lived. It seems that he chose a pretty poor team. When I was Morozevich's manager, I had to deal with some people in that team and was unimpressed, to put it mildly. Ilyumzhinov won easily in 2002 in Bled. In fact, many people accused his opponent Ignatius Leong of selling out. In Bled he withdrew from the race, accepting the position of FIDE Vice President. Let us have a look at other candidates. Vice President of the French Chess Federation and organiser of the popular Corsican Circuit Leo Battesti announced his campaign in October 2005. His explained his goals: "This new initiative will be directed towards finding mainstream sponsors and partners who are attracted by the worldwide appeal of our sport. This will eventually, enable both professional and amateur chess players to be better served by an institution made by them and for them." Dutch businessman Bessel Kok is a well-known figure in chess. He was involved in GMA and the Prague Agreement. His campaign is well organised, with regular updates on its website. Kok commands a lot of respect among top professionals. Among those, who support him, are Judit Polgar, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Short, Adams and several other GMs. See the full list here. Even more importantly, the Spanish, Andorran and German Chess Federations have expressed their support. Another candidate might be Anatoly Karpov. He has been attacking Ilyumzhinov in the press for quite a while. In his recent interview he drew a very gloomy picture: "If we allow chess to continue for another four years in its present terrible state, it will simply disappear from the face of the earth." However, Karpov has not decided yet whether or not to run FIDE President... One would think that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov should be happy to see as many rivals as possible - after all, the main question is likely to be "are you pro-Kirsan" or anti-Kirsan"? However, FIDE seems to be determined to make it harder for others to challenge the FIDE President. Thus, FIDE recently amended its electoral regulations. One of the new rules state: "A Federation is entitled to nominate only one candidate for one position". This seems to be aimed at Karpov - it looks like he and Ilyumzhinov can't run for FIDE President at the same time, as both are in the Russian Chess Federation. In another controversial development, Ilyumzhinov suggested that any candidate for FIDE President should put up $1 million for the privilege of running! Not surprisingly, both Battesti and Kok protested. Recently I saw both Bessel Kok and FIDE Vice President George Makropoulos in Birmingham, where they made their presentations to the Chess Federations of England, Scotland and Wales. As I was playing in the 4NCL, I could not attend the meeting, but the discussions seem to have been heated. I am sure we will see more in the next few months. I recall how in 1996 in Yerevan members of all teams were given a bottle of "Kirsan" vodka, a jar of "Kirsan" caviar and a "Kirsan" watch. What will be on offer in Turin? Yasser Seirawan on FIDE
"Dear Alex, By the time of the 1995 FIDE Congress in Paris, attending delegates had become ashamed about the 1994 election and were seeking amends. The revolt was in full swing and Campomanes was asked to step down. Karpov had brought his friend Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to the 1995 FIDE Congress. With the pressure building, Campomanes decided upon a graceful exit and resigned in favor of Ilyumzhinov rather than endure the old heave ho. Campomanes became FIDE's "Honorary Chairman", while Ilyumzhinov replaced him as FIDE President in 1995. The FIDE Congress in Yerevan 1996 was an Olympiad year where many delegates met. During the non- Olympiad years, fewer delegates come to the FIDE Congress. It was decided to hold a new election or rather to confirm the results of the 1995 Congress. Ilyumzhinov was reelected, unopposed. There was the famous story of Ignatius Leong (Singapore) hiding in the American delegates hotel room fearing for his life. In Elista 1998, FIDE was back to its normal schedule of elections every four years. A member of the opposition, Bachar Kouatly (France), withdrew and fled Elista, out of fear of physical reprisals. Again, Ilyumzhinov was re-elected, unopposed. In Bled 2002, Ilyumzhinov was re-elected unopposed when Leong withdrew his ticket at the last moment. Amazingly enough, Ilyumzhinov and his ticket of professional chess politicians have never faced a contested FIDE election. Turin 2006 will be a first.2006 will mark the eleventh year that Ilyumzhinov has held the FIDE Presidency post. The "reign of error" as I call it, has been securely in place for these very long years. During this time we have witnessed the decline of FIDE as a respectable chess organization. Each year seems to have brought a new scandal. We have careened from one piece of bad news to another. The rank and file doubt the integrity of FIDE and its reputation is at an all time low. Newspaper articles about FIDE tend to focus mostly on the negative, highlighting the eccentric behaviour of its leader. Our friend Robert Huntington, the Associated Press chess reporter, resigned his post in disgust in 2002. In his goodbye letter, posted on the TWIC website, Robert wrote that the acronym FIDE had changed. The new meaning had become, "Federation International for the Destruction of Echecs". FIDE was plumbing new lows and destroying the very institutions that made chess a revered sport. Certainly, the prestigious title of FIDE World Champion has been degraded if not destroyed. While San Luis did much to restore some of the lost cache of our highest title, the chaos caused by the split over the last thirteen years continues unabated. Following the Prague Agreement of 2002, FIDE broke every promise it had made to the players, to our host Bessel Kok and to the chess world. Knockout events that were to become World Championship matches were switched to double round robin tournament finals. Can anyone guarantee that the rules for the new cycle won't change in midstream? FIDE's leaders do not abide by the statutes of the organization, rules of play nor contractual agreements signed and executed. Recently, Ilyumzhinov demanded that anyone seeking FIDE Presidential offices post one million dollars to FIDE's accounts. Try to find that one in the FIDE statutes! Ridiculous whimsy or standard operating procedure? The ruse was clear enough: "This is my fiefdom, no one else is welcome!" I suppose we should be grateful, FIDE no longer threatens physical reprisals, sanctions and fines will do nicely.(Hmm, my blunder, I forgot Calvia.) Today's chess professionals can be barred if they test positive for steroids.Bans include two year and lifetime sanctions as well as extravagant monetary penalties. FIDE's chairperson of the Medical Committee assures that she only seeks fair play so that no player has a physically drug induced advantage over another. For the life of me I cannot understand how using steroids will revive my cherished Caro-Kann. Common sense has flown out of the window! FIDE has stopped to become a prospective partner for major sponsors. In truth, it is an organization they no longer even think about. I know this from personal experience that corporate sponsors won't touch our sport for the simple reason they do not want the name of their company and its products tainted by association with the FIDE organization. That is pretty damning. Outside of the one-time-only sponsorship of municipalities and other government agents I can't think of a single major corporate sponsor that has supported FIDE in ages. Can you? It is Kirsan's money that has supported the FIDE organization, his rules, his formats and his administration. Again, I can't think of another single sports body where the President has to personally financially guarantee his vision for the "growth" of the sport. FIDE is addicted to the money of one person. It is not the product, chess, which is lacking it is the lack of capable, competent, professional administrators selling that product. Our cherished, noble sport that once held such high cultural importance has morphed. We have become a band of beggars. Can anyone think of a single FIDE initiative introduced in the last eleven years that hasn't been tainted by scandal or mishap? To much fanfare, FIDE announced that the new Knockout World Championships would be five million dollar events held every year. This changed to three million dollar events held every other year, to one and a half million dollar events. How about the FIDE Rapid Chess events that were summarily canceled? The aborted matches in Baghdad, Buenos Aires and Yalta? The FIDE time control and its announcement that a "majority" of top players polled favored ninety minutes plus thirty seconds for the whole game? Other personal favorites include FIDE Commerce President Artyom Tarasov explaining that FIDE was in a "war" with chess organizers. That this war mandated that FIDE hold competing events against "private" tournaments such as Wijk Aan Zee and others. The bouncing checks in Las Vegas was a low light. If memory serves, the winners Alexander Khalifman had to wait over six months for full payment. By the way, in the United States to knowingly write a check without sufficient funds in the account is a banking fraud. A felonious act. A recent FIDE declaration that Kasparov was a "liar" during a press conference was a good one. FIDE Deputy President Markopoulos had to write an open letter of apology trying to explain which side spoke with the greatest integrity. That had me laughing for ages. What a paradigm of virtue he is! Is it any wonder that Garry had decided enough was enough? Others will have their own favorites such as fixed tournaments and awarding Grandmaster titles to players no one had ever seen compete. The list of mistakes seems nearly endless. Recently, I think Karpov misspoke when he talked about chess disappearing in the next four years. What Tolya likely meant was, "professional chess". Viewed from this qualification he is of course right. A large number of our colleagues have quit. Matthew Sadler of the UK, Jeroen Piket from the Netherlands were both top national players when they stopped. Kasparov's retirement was the biggest blow of all to the professional class. If professional chess is to survive, a change of FIDE leaders is a mandatory first step. Despite the efforts of the FIDE to damage chess, it will live for another hundred years, at least. Today's professionals are more likely to be chess teachers than players. This trend will continue as long as the current FIDE "leadership" remains in place. My view is that the 2006 FIDE elections is going to be the biggest chess story of the year. Either we get four more years of the reign of error or we get a breath of fresh air and a chance to get off our knees. I've known Bessel Kok for twenty years and I can't think of a more highly qualified, respected and capable candidate for change. If professional chess players care about the survival of their sport, they will enthusiastically encourage their federations to vote for Bessel Kok and a new future. If the above makes for uncomfortable reading, just imagine the reactions of corporate sponsorships. After making personal contact with a top officer of a company to offer a written proposal, the officer takes the written proposal to his team and tells them, "Chess is cool! My kids play chess. Let us have some fun and host a chess event." The proposal gets passed around the office and ends up on the desk of some internal marketing division. The marketing people do a quick Google search, which spits out different versions of the above history and informs that on top of everything else, the "Honorary Chairman" of the FIDE is a convicted embezzler. A felon is an Honorary Chairman of a world organization?! Exasperation is the order of the day. Along with the rest of the stories, the immediate reaction is an alarmed, "Time out! We don't want to get involved with this group. Hell, the chess players don't even know who their own world champion is! We can't guarantee that coverage of our event will even be positive. Let us just keep to the tried and true and take a pass." In no time, the company team has nixed our proposal in order to spend its marketing dollars on other sports. This is the legacy that the reign of error has brought us. If chess has a future for professional players we are going to have to rebuild the credibility of our damaged image and get our own house in order. Otherwise chess is going to have the most over qualified teachers of any sport. Ever.
With kind regards, The following was recently made public. The United States Chess Federation Executive Board is pleased and proud to announce that it has unanimously endorsed the candidacy of Mr. Bessel Kok for President of the World Chess Federation (Fédération International des Echecs). Mr. Bessel Kok has been a long time supporter and sponsor of chess and chess events. He successfully united professional players when he brought them together to form the Grandmaster Association (GMA) and was personally responsible for the famous series of World Cup tournaments. Having recently retired from an illustrious business career, which included, co-founding the Society for World Wide Interbank Telecommunication - International Banking Network (SWIFT) where he became President and CEO; President of Belgacom, Belgium's largest telephony company and President of Czechy Telecom, the largest telephony operator in the Czech Republic, Mr. Bessel Kok is now seeking the post of the FIDE Presidency. In his retirement years, Mr. Bessel Kok continues to serve as an advisor on several boards for some of the most important companies and funds in the world. He brings a wealth of experience to the post of the FIDE Presidency. Contrast what Mr. Bessel Kok and his Deputy President, Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici of the Turkish Chess Federation can do for chess to that of what Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and his team have failed to accomplish. Upon his election as FIDE President in 1995, Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov stated goals included ending the world championship schism and to increase the support of FIDE's assistance to chess developing countries. Over ten years later, the results are woeful in the extreme. The world championship schism continues unabated and chess assistance to chess developing countries has not increased but rather has dramatically decreased. It was Mr. Bessel Kok who hosted a conference in Prague in 2002, that brought together all of the protagonists to the World Championship schism where he forged an agreement signed by all the parties. Subsequently, FIDE took this golden opportunity and failed to abide by any of the promises it made in the Prague Agreement. Upon his election, Mr. Bessel Kok has pledged to host yet another conference, this time to definitively end the schism and reunite the chess world. Despite the many donations Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has made to the FIDE over the last ten years it has, at times, teetered on bankruptcy. In 1999, the FIDE wrote checks to the prize winners of the World Chess Championship held at Las Vegas. Many of which bounced. To knowingly write a check without sufficient funds is, in the United States, a crime. The only possible alternative is financial incompetence on the part of Ilyumzhinov's led FIDE. For over a decade, there has been worldwide dissatisfaction with the manner in which the FIDE operates. For example, the World Chess Championship held in Tripoli Libya 2004 barred Israeli and many Jewish players from competing. As a result, six qualified American players for the World Championship refused to participate in what was a tainted event. There has been a long list of complaints regarding the FIDE's autocratic style of management and the FIDE has had to defend its actions in three separate arbitration cases in Swiss courtrooms. Little wonder that the reputation of the FIDE is at the lowest level in its history. Today's rank and file players no longer believe that FIDE is a trustworthy organization. The perception is that Ilyumzhinov's led FIDE lacks both the competence and integrity necessary to develop chess. Commercial corporate sponsors have shunned the FIDE for over ten years. As a member federation of the FIDE the United States Chess Federation takes its responsibility most seriously and urges all the member nations of FIDE to join with it by voting for Mr. Bessel Kok for FIDE President. In commenting on the USCF endorsement of Bessel Kok. United States Chess Federation President Bill Goichberg said: "I am proud that our leaders have unanimously joined together to fully support the candidacy of Mr. Bessel Kok. We have pledged to help in his quest to transform FIDE to a fully functional world-class organization. For over ten years the current administrators of the FIDE have been given their chance. It is definitely time for change." 3) US ChampionshipMea Culpa. In issue 281 I reported Salvijus Bercys was participating in the AF4C's junior Internet qualifier. In fact just before it was held he gained a ticket for San Diego when IM Gregory Shahade declined his spot. The junior qualifier is Eliot Liu of San Diego who is coached by IM Cyrus Lakdawala. SEATTLE, January 30, 2006 - The stated mission of the AF4C is to use their wild card spots in the US Championship to help promote the development of exceptionally promising junior players. Last year, we selected Salvijus Bercys, who is the #1 US rated player aged 16. Running Bercys a close second is New York's Alex Lenderman (USCF rating 2427), who throughout 2005 continually dominated the junior scene in the US with a number of impressive performances. He gained IM norms at the Hungary 'First Saturday' tournament, scoring 10/13, and at Foxwoods 2005, scoring 6/9. At the 2005 World Open, Alex, scoring 6/9, gained his third and final IM norm, though narrowly missed out on tiebreak for a direct qualifying spot for the US Championship. Alex then went from the World Open to the world stage with an unbeaten score of 9/11 to take the U16 title at the 2005 World Youth Chess Championship in Belfort, France, becoming in the process the first American to bring home gold since Tal Shaked captured the World Junior title in 1997. On the January 2006 FIDE rating list, Alex Lenderman has an ELO rating of 2431 that ranks him as 62nd in the United States and he thus becomes our first wild card selection for the 2006 US Chess Championship. Last year, the AF4C also offered a wild card spot to one of the top names in the game in Gata Kamsky, who used his berth in the US Championship to stage a dramatic comeback on the world stage. Our second wild card selection this year again goes to a famous player making a comeback, GM Max Dlugy -- a player who made headline news throughout 2005, though perhaps not for what he'd have liked it for! Max is a former World Junior Champion. He went on to become one of the US' leading players winning the World Open twice and National Open three times. Not content with just playing, he also offered his services directly to US Chess in a leading administrative role by becoming, at 24, the youngest president in the history of the USCF, serving from 1990-1993. He retired from full-time chess in the mid-nineties, going on to use his strategic skills for a successful career on Wall Street as a securities trader for Bankers Trust - a job he applied for after the company advertised directly for chess players. Along with some fellow investors, Dlugy then sought a bigger challenge in his former homeland by buying shares in Russian factories and bringing to them much-needed American management techniques. He became chairman of the Solikamsk Magnesium Works in the Perm region of Russia, which innocently led to him becoming embroiled in an alleged $9 million fraud brought by disgruntled business partners. To the shock of many chess fans and his fellow players, Max languished in a Russian prison for 9 months protesting his innocence. On a point of principle, he even turned down the chance of an early release by refusing to plead guilty to a minor charge. Common sense prevailed though, and when the case came to trial he was completely exonerated by the judge. Thankfully, Max was released from prison just before Christmas and was reunited with his wife, Marina, and two children, Michelle, 16, and Matthew, 13, back home in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Whilst in prison, Max sought solace - amongst other activities and pursuits - through playing chess, where he once again rediscovered his joy for the game and now seeks to return to top-level play. The chairman of the selection committee was AF4C co-founder and board member, Dr. Jim Roberts, and committee members were AF4C president Erik Anderson and chess journalist John Henderson. The committee would like to thank numerous US championship players and others in the chess community for their input into these decisions. This will be the fifth year that AF4C has hosted the annual tournament and its second year doing so in conjunction with the NTC Foundation in San Diego. For further championship details, go to http://www.uschesschampionship.com/ 4) Jeremy Silman on Chess.FMHi folks: This week's guest on the internet radio show "Chess and Books with Fred Wilson" will be will be one of America's most popular chess authors & teachers, IM JEREMY SILMAN. The show runs from 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST) every Tuesday evening. As always, there will be replays of the show almost immediately afterwards for our chess enthusiasts on the West enthusiasts on the West Coast & elsewhere, and often there will be several replays the following day. You can access it at the following website: http://www.chess.fm, ONLY IF YOU ARE AN ICC MEMBER (a decision with which I disagree). However, if you visit chessclub.com you can sign up for a one week FREE trial membership, listen to my show that week, and access the other good stuff on Chess.fm while you're at it! "Fred's next guest Tuesday evening, Feb. 7th, 2006 will be the well-known chess author, lecturer and teacher IM JEREMY SILMAN. Jeremy, winner of several past American, National & U.S. Open tournaments, has writen over 35 very well-received books, including the modern instructional masterpiece "How to Reassess Your Chess" (Expanded 3rd Edition), it's popular sequel "The Reassess Your Chess Workbook", and the best-selling "The Amateur's Mind". He also co-authored (& published), with GM Pal Benko & IM John Watson, the award winning "Pal Benko: My Life, Games and Compositions". Besides chess teaching, the current state of the chess world in general, and his "take" on the many new & interesting books published in 2005, Jeremy will also discuss his soon-to-be released marathon project "Silman's Complete Endgame Course from Beginner to Master". You are encouraged to visit Jeremy's fascinating website http://www.jeremysilman.com , and, of course, send good questions for IM Jeremy Silman to fred@fredwilsonchess.com". 5) Frank Marshall GameRusty Miller of Chelan, Washington, sends in the following game which was published in the July 1950 issue of the Washington Chess Letter. Clarence Bagley, whose family played an important role in the early history of Seattle, was the main supporter of the local chess club for many years. Marshall was on a tour of the US that extended to the West Coast including San Francisco and Portland. The year is approximate. Can readers offer more details?
Bagley,Clarence B. - Marshall,Frank J. [C31] 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bc5 6.Nge2 0-0 7.a3 Re8 8.Na4 Qe7 9.b4 Bd6 10.0-0 a6 11.Bb3 b5 12.Nac3 c6 13.dxc6 Nxc6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.Bxd5 Bb7 16.c3 Rad8 17.Bxc6 Bxc6 18.Kh1 Qh4 19.Qe1 Qh6 20.Qg3 Re6 21.Qe3 Rg6 22.Ng3 Bf8 23.Nf5 Qh5 24.Nd4 Bd5 25.Bb2 Bc4 26.Rf2 Bd3 27.Rg1 Rg4 28.Nc6 Rd6 29.Ne5 Rh4 30.g3 Rh3 31.Rfg2 Rh6 32.Qf2 Be2 32..... e3 leads to Mate in 6. 33.g4 Qxe5 34.Qxe2 Qxf4 35.Rf1 Rxh2+ 36.Rxh2 Rxh2+ 37.Qxh2 Qxf1+ 38.Qg1 Qh3+ 39.Qh2 Qxg4 0-1 6) Karpov Chess School to continue in LindsborgJOINT RELEASE International Educational and Cultural Services (INTECS) International Chess Institute of the Midwest (ICIM) For Immediate Release 2/2/06 Contact: Wes Fisk 785-227-4121 (ICIM) or Mikhail Korenman 785-227-2224 (INTECS) Famed Chess School to Continue Operation The Anatoly Karpov School of Chess, founded by seven-time World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov, will continue to operate from its present location in Lindsborg, Kansas. A group of investors from Lindsborg, Galva, and McPherson, Kansas reached an agreement this week with Mikhail Korenman, president of INTECS, to purchase the building at 106 S. Main, Lindsborg, along with the equipment and furnishing of the chess school. The famous chess school was formerly operated by INTECS, who also operates Chess for Peace. The new group of investors has formed a non-profit entity, International Chess Institute of the Midwest (ICIM), which will focus primarily on chess in education. ICIM will operate the Karpov School of Chess as part of their overall chess in education program. Korenman, through INTECS, will continue to run the Chess for Peace initiative, which recently featured former Soviet President Mikahil Gorbachev and a host of chess dignitaries in a week-long event in Lindsborg. "This is about the best that could happen," said Mikhail Korenman. "The chess school will stay where it is and all the debts of INTECS will be paid off." The new president of ICIM agreed: "This is a renewed opportunity for organized chess to stay in Lindsborg," said Marck Cobb, president of ICIM. "It will not only help students in Lindsborg learn, but it will also help students throughout Kansas and even on a national basis." ICIM has scheduled a summer chess camp for students July 16-21 in Lindsborg. Chess for Peace is hosting the Chess for Peace Festival in Lindsborg, June 6-11 that is expected to bring students from throughout the world together to play chess and to forge friendships. CHESS FOR PEACE 106 South Main, Lindsborg, Kansas 67456 - 785-227-2224 For Immediate Release 2/1/06 Photos Available Contact: Wes Fisk 785-227-4121 or Mikhail Korenman 785-227-2224 Gorbachev Chess Set to be Auctioned Mikhail Korenman, Director of the Chess for Peace Initiative will put the famed Gorbachev chess set up for auction on eBay on February 3-12. The chess set and board, autographed by former President Mikhail Gorbachev and former World Chess Champions Anatoly Karpov and Susan Polgar, was used by Gorbachev and Alan Murray, assistant managing editor of the Wall Street Journal during their historic meeting. Gorbachev and Murray played chess while discussing world affairs before a near capacity audience on October 29, 2005 at Presser Hall, which is located on the campus of Bethany College. The two drew many analogies between chess and politics during their hour-long discussion. The large carved chess set and board are being sold as part of a fundraising effort for the upcoming Chess for Peace Festival that is slated for June 6-11 in Lindsborg, Kansas. The festival will bring students from throughout the world and the U.S. to play chess and forge friendships during the weeklong event. "We are also seeking individuals and corporations who would like to sponsor an individual or a team so they could attend the Chess for Peace Festival," said Mikhail Korenman. Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, former Kansas Governor John Carlin, former Kansas Lt. Governor Sheila Frahm, and former Congressman Dick Nichols serve on the Chess for Peace National Advisory Board. Seven-time World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov and five-time Women's World Chess Champion Susan Polgar, along with U.S. Chess Federation V.P., Don Schultz, also serve on the board. 7) Games from Gibralter
Bellon Lopez,J (2415) - Kobalia,M (2654) [B14] 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 3.e3 Nf6 4.c4 cxd4 5.exd4 d5 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd2 0-0 8.Rc1 Nc6 9.a3 Bxc3 10.Bxc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 b6 12.0-0 Bb7 13.Qd3 Nd5 14.Bd2 h6 15.Rfe1 Nce7 16.Ba2 Nf5 17.Re5 Rc8 18.Rce1 Re8 19.h3 Nfe7 20.Nh4 Nc6 21.R5e4 Nf6 22.Rxe6 Rxe6 23.Rxe6 fxe6 24.Bxe6+ Kf8 25.Qg6 Rc7 26.Nf5 Bc8 27.Nxg7 Rxg7 28.Bxh6 Qe7 29.Bxc8 Nxd4 30.Ba6 b5 31.Bb7 Ne8 32.Be4 Qe5 33.g3 a5 34.Kg2 Kg8 35.Bxg7 Nxg7 36.f4 Qc5 37.b4 axb4 38.axb4 Qc4 39.h4 Nde6 40.h5 Nf8 41.Qc6 Qe2+ 42.Kg1 Qe1+ 43.Kh2 Qe2+ 44.Kg1 Qe1+ 45.Kh2 Qe2+ 46.Kg1 Qe1+ ½-½
Korchnoi,V (2608) - Carlsson,P (2430) [E15] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qb3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Na5 7.Qa4 c5 8.e4 Bb7 9.d5 exd5 10.exd5 Qe7+ 11.Be2 0-0-0 12.Kd1 g5 13.Bd3 Ng4 14.Rf1 Nxf2+ 15.Rxf2 Qe3 16.b4 Bg7 17.bxa5 Bxa1 18.axb6 axb6 19.Ne4 Qxd3+ 20.Nfd2 Be5 21.Rf3 Qd4 22.Qb5 Rhe8 23.Qxb6 Bc7 24.Nd6+ Bxd6 25.Rb3 Re1+? [25...Bxd5 26.cxd5 Qxd5 27.Qa6+ Kc7 28.Qa7+=] 26.Kxe1 Qg1+ 27.Nf1 Re8+ 28.Re3 Re6 29.dxe6 Bg2 30.Qxd6 1-0
Zhukova,N (2432) - Houska,J (2355) [D45] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 e6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nbd7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Qc2 Bd6 10.0-0 h6 11.h3 Qe7 12.Rfe1 Rd8 13.Rad1 b6 14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxe4 Bb7 17.c5 bxc5 18.Ba5 Rdc8 19.dxc5 Bc7 20.Bxc7 Rxc7 21.Rd6 Nf6 22.Ne5 Rac8 23.Qc4 Nd5 24.Bb1 Qg5 25.h4 Qe7 26.Qc2 Nf6 27.g4 Kf8 28.Rxe6 Qxe6 29.Ng6+ Kg8 30.Rxe6 fxe6 31.g5 hxg5 32.hxg5 a5 33.Nf4 e5 34.Ne6 Re7 35.gxf6 1-0 8) Upcoming EventsA.J. Fink Amateur - March 4 and 5
East Bay Chess Scholastic Quads How it Works: A three game USCF-rated tournament, in sections of four players, each determined by USCF rating. Non-USCF members will be paired in separate unrated quads.
Entry fee: $10 if mailed before 1/29/06, $15 at site. $5 discount for EBCC Members
The 33rd annual People's Tournament The Reserve and B sections will play five rounds on February 11-12, which is the weekend before President's Day. The Open/Expert and A sections will compete in the usual six round format on February 18-20. If you register before February 4th, the entry fee is $35 for U1800 and $40 for 1800+. It goes up $5 for on-site registration. Location: East Bay Chess Club; please note the event is NOT at UC Berkeley this year!
UNDER 1800 on February 11-12: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/peoples1.html
OVER 1800 on February 18-20: http://www.eastbaychess.com/tourney/06/peoples2.html |