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It's great entertainment, no doubt. But there is no place for such things in sport. He (Kramnik) was accused not of something he actually did, but something he could have done, and losing a game was extremely unfair to Kramnik. To say that it could have been handled better would actually be putting it mildly. The event is tainted now. Viswanathan Anand: (The Hindu, 9 October 2006.) on the Kramnik-Topalov match |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club News 2) US Chess League news 3) Sergey Kudrin wins Western States Open 4) Alan Pollard (1946-2006) 5) World Championship match 6) Pumpkin Chess Championship of Half Moon Bay 7) Upcoming Events |
1) Mechanics' Institute Chess Club NewsThe last round of the Paul Vayssie Tuesday Night Marathon was full of upsets. Leader Josh Gutman was defeated by veteran Peter Grey who had his best TNM finish in years. One of the two players trailing Gutman by a point going into the last round, NM Russell Wong, won, but the other, WIM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs could only draw with up and coming 15-year-old Expert Louiza Livshitz. Final standings are: 1-2. Gutman and Wong 6.5 from 8 3-6. Tuvshintugs, Grey, Sanguinetti and Ossipov 6. The Fall Marathon starts October 31st. Thanks to Steve Lupton for the following contribution. More Spassky games from the simul will follow in future Newsletters. Boris and Marina made it back to France last Saturday. Hi John, You may be interested in this item for the club newsletter. Someone has posted the full 37 minutes of the excellent BBC documentary on the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match on Google video. The URL is:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8110762384845644778&q=spassky&hl=en Or you can find it by going to the Google Video site (http://video.google.com/) and searching for Spassky. This is an interesting documentary with contemporary footage of Fischer, Spassky, and many of the other key people involved in the match. It was shown for the first time in the US at the Western States Open in Reno in 2004. Also, I am attaching my game against Spassky from the recent simul, with my own annotations. I'm sure this will be uninteresting to the higher-rated players, but anyone around my level or below might benefit from it. The essential lesson I learned was to get my pieces out and into the battle. It's not a good idea to let your opponent pin two pieces in a corner like this, especially if you are facing a former world champion! . Best regards, - Steve Lupton
Spassky,B (2548) - Lupton,S (1461) [C39] 1.e4 Spassky had everyone play e4 as his first move 1...e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 This move introduces the Kieseritzky variation of the King's Knight's Gambit, which I had suspected Spassky would play based on my home preparation. So I had "booked up" on this line 5...Nf6 6.d4 d6 7.Nd3 Nxe4 8.Bxf4 Bg7 9.c3 0-0 10.Be2 Re8 11.g3 This was the last book move 11...f5 The move that put me on the road to my downfall. c5 is the book move, which I had studied and was planning to play. But in the heat of the moment I decided to protect the g pawn first. f5 had been played in some C39 games I had been looking at the previous evening, but it wasn't the best move in this position [11...c5 12.dxc5 dxc5 13.0-0 followed by 13...Nc6 or 13...Bf5] 12.0-0 Be6 Nf6 or Qe7 would have been better moves for me 13.Nd2 d5 Again, Nf6 would have been a better move for me. I was beginning to lag behind in development on the queenside at this point [13...Nf6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Nf4 Nd7 17.Bd3 Bf7 18.Qc2 Re3] 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Nc5 Qd5 Perhaps Bd5 would have kept me roughly even [15...Bd5 16.Qa4 Kh8 17.Bxc7 Qc8 18.Bf4 b6 19.Nb3 Nc6 20.Rae1] 16.Qb3! I was expecting NxB or maybe c4, but Spassky had other plans 16...Qxc5 Trading the queens on b3 would have left me worse off, according to Fritz [16...Qxb3 17.axb3 Bf7 18.Nxb7 Nc6 19.Bb5 Bd5 20.Bxc7 Nxd4 21.Bxe8 Rxe8 22.Nd6 Re7 23.Nxf5 Nxf5 24.Rxf5 Be6 25.Rc5 Bxb3 26.Rxa7 Bh6 27.Ra8+ Kf7 28.Bf4 Bxf4 29.Rf5+ Kg7 30.Rxf4 Bd1 31.Ra5] 17.Qxe6+ Rxe6 18.dxc5 These exchanges resulted in Spassky gaining the bishop pair 18...Re7 An effort to hold on to the gambit pawn, and actually the move offered by Fritz. Re6 would lose the rook to Bc4, so maybe Re8 would have been my best strategy? [18...Re8 19.Bc4+ Kh8 20.Bxc7 Be5 21.Bd6 Bxd6 22.cxd6 Re5 23.Rad1 Nd7] 19.Bg5 Re5 20.Rad1 Rxc5?? This was my fatal mistake. Nc6 would have been a much better move, avoiding the subsequent pin. I anticipated Spassky's next move, but thought I would be able to drive the rook off the eighth rank. I don't recall how, though -- maybe with the bishop. I didn't see that he could just move off the dark squares! The game went downhill from here [20...Nc6 21.Rd7 Rc8 22.Bc4+ Kh8 23.Bd5 Ree8 24.Bf7 Re5 25.Bd5] 21.Rd8+ My knight and rook are sitting at home, locked out of the action by the rook 21...Kf7 22.Bxg4! I completely overlooked this capture. Maybe I could have saved the pawn with Bf8. But this would have tied up another piece with the rook pin 22...Kg6 23.Be3 Bf6 23...Rb5 24.h5+ Kf6 25.c4 Ra5 26.c5 h6 27.Bxf5 Ke7 28.Rc8. 24.Rg8+ Kf7 25.Rc8 Rd5 I'm thinking I might have to sacrifice the knight to get my rook out into the open, but I figured I might be able to trade off rooks on d8 to free up my trapped pieces 26.Rxf5 Spassky remarked "That pawn is very tasty", referring to the long-awaited recapture of the gambit pawn. He first captured with the bishop, then said "Maybe I can take with the rook, no? That is also an excellent move." The rook capture pins my bishop, which prevents me from trading off the rook on the eighth rank with Rd8 26...c6 Material is equal, but not really due to the rook pin in the a8 corner. Spassky has the bishop pair and a much better position 26...Rxf5 27.Bxf5 Be5 28.Bxh7 c6 29.h5 Bxg3 30.h6 Be5 31.Bxe4. 27.Rxd5 Here, Spassky said "So many winning possibilities! OK, so I'll play simple chess," and traded off the rooks 27...cxd5 28.Bf4 d4 29.cxd4 Bxd4+ 30.Kg2 Kg7 30...Bxb2 31.Bxb8 a5 31.b4 b5 32.Bf5 h6 A disastrous move, which left my rook with no hope of escape [32...a5 33.Bxe4 Ra7 34.Rxb8 axb4 35.Bd5 h5 36.Rxb5] 33.Bxe4! Spassky offered a draw on the board to my left, made his move on my board and said "This position is not for a draw!". When he came round again, I resigned in view of the inevitable BxR and the "hint" from Spassky. It was getting late, and Spassky was probably thinking it was time for dinner. I lost the game (no surprise, there), but had a memorable encounter with the 10th world champion and learned a valuable lesson on the perils of neglecting development and piece activity 1-0 2) US Chess League newsSan Francisco 2 - Seattle 2
1. IM Josh Friedel (SF) vs GM Gregory Serper (SEA) 1-0 The match with our Western Division rivals was much anticipated. Both teams are heading for the playoffs but the question remains which will take the division title and the privileges of sitting out the first round of the playoffs and draw odds in the semi-finals. Going into the match Seattle had two candidates in the running for the league MVP title, Gregory Serper and 12-year-old Michael Lee. GM Serper is known as a very tough player to beat and was coming off a second place tie in last weekend's strong Western States Open in Reno, but IM Josh Friedel was equal to the task. White was up minimal material after Black sacrificed the exchange for the pawn and Serper's Bishop looked wonderful, but Josh believes in material. It also helped that pretty much the entire game Black was behind on the clock. Possibly the natural 31...Nd5 was a mistake and 31...Kf8 should be played instead to prevent the White Knight coming to f6. After the resulting trade on that square the White pawn became a monster. Still matters were far from decided. Probably 44...g5?! was as mistake and Black had to hold tight and leave his pawn on g6. Once White won Black's Queen for a Rook and Bishop the result was not in doubt though Serper continued to resist stubbornly. Note White could have captured Black's Bishop later on but by this point Josh had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do and stuck with it. This is the fourth time this year that Josh's game has been the last to finish and the match decider and he has scored the maximum points the positions offered ( 3 from 4). It is comforting to have such a player anchoring the team.
Friedel,J (2513) - Serper,G (2570) [B54] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 d6 6.f4 b5 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.Qe2 Nd7 9.0-0 Ngf6 10.Kh1 Nc5 11.b4 Nxd3 12.cxd3 Be7 13.Bb2 0-0 14.Nd1 Qd7 15.Nb3 Rac8 16.Ne3 Rc7 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.Rf3 Ne8 19.Rh3 Bf6 20.e5 dxe5 21.Bxe5 Bxe5 22.fxe5 Qd8 23.Rf1 Qg5 24.Rh5 Qg6 25.Nc5 Rxc5 26.bxc5 Rxc5 27.d4 Rc7 28.Rh4 Rd7 29.Rg4 Qh6 30.Qf2 Nc7 31.Rg3 Nd5 32.Ng4 Qh5 33.Nf6+ Nxf6 34.exf6 g6 35.Qf4 Rd8 36.Re1 Rc8 37.Kg1 Qd5 38.Rg4 Qd8 39.Re2 Rc4 40.Rf2 Qf8 41.h4 h6 42.Re2 Kh7 43.Re5 Bd5 44.h5 g5?! 45.Rexg5! hxg5 46.Rxg5 Rc2 47.g3 Rg2+ 48.Kf1 Rh2 49.Rg7+ Qxg7 50.fxg7 Kxg7 51.g4 Rh3 52.Ke2 Bxa2 53.Qg5+ Kh7 54.Qf6 e5 55.Qf5+ Kg8 56.Qxe5 b4 57.Qb8+ Kh7 58.Qxb4 Be6 59.Qb1+ Kg7 60.Qe4 Rh4 61.d5 Bxd5 62.Qe5+ Kf8 63.Qg3 Bc4+ 64.Kf2 Rh1 65.Qd6+ Kg8 66.Kg2 Re1 67.Qd4 Re2+ 68.Kg3 Kh7 69.Qxc4 Re6 70.g5 Kg7 71.Qd4+ Kg8 72.Kg4 Kh7 73.g6+ Kg8 74.Qd7 Rf6 75.Kg5 1-0 Senior Master Slava Mikhailuk is a former US Championship participant and one of the reasons for Seattle's success this season but he is fairly predictable with White and IM Vinay Bhat found a weak spot in his opening repertoire. The first 10 moves followed an Alekhine-Junge game from the early 1940s, but this line has never been considered dangerous for Black. 10.Bg5 looks to be a novelty but not necessarily an improvement over the earlier tries 10.dxc5 and 10.a4. Probably White should have limited himself to recovering the pawn with 15.Qxd4 though it is understandable that he didn't find 15...Bc5 16.Qh4 Ne4 that appetizing though after 17.Nd4 things don't seem so bad. White's piece sacrifice proved to insufficient and he soon had to add more wood to the fire. At the end Vinay was up a ton of material and if this was a Bughouse match the Mechanics' would have been easy winners! This win makes Vinay an undefeated 4 from 6 over two years against a field of 4 GMs, IM and 1 SM. Well done Vinay.
Mikhailuk,S (2438) - Bhat,V (2463) [A13] 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 dxc4 4.Qa4+ Nd7 5.Bg2 a6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qc6 Rb8 8.d4 Bb7 9.Qc2 c5 10.0-0 Ngf6 11.Bg5 Rc8 12.a4 b4 13.Rd1 cxd4 14.Qd2 Qc7 15.Bf4 Qb6 16.a5 Qa7 17.Nxd4 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 e5 19.Nf5 exf4 20.Qxf4 Qb8 21.Rd6 Bxd6 22.Nxd6+ Ke7 23.Qe3+ Kxd6 24.Nc3 bxc3 25.Rd1+ Nd5 26.Qf3 N7f6 27.bxc3 Ke7 28.e4 Nxc3 0-1 NM John Readey was rated over 2400 for many years when he lived in Ohio and is a solid and experienced player. David essayed a seldom seem line in the Pirc Austrian and when Black chose 7...0-0 over 7...cxd4 the players were soon in uncharted territory. David played 10.Be2 but I wonder if he knew of the crazy 10.h4 , leaving the Bishop hanging, as played by Velimirovic against Rajkovic at Skopje 1971. The players reached a stable middlegame position where David over pressed with 14.a4 ( instead of 14.Qd2 and 15.Rad1). Subsequent moves like 16.Bd4? were based on an incorrect assessment of the position and after 19...Nxc2 Black was clearly winning but David is not one to go down without a fight. Down twenty minutes on the clock and with a terrible position he gritted his teeth and managed to get back into the game both on the board and on the clock. He won back one of the pawns and the Mechanics' was starting to think about winning the match, but then came the horrible blunder 45.Be4. To be fair at this point 45.Bh3 Rxb2+ 46.Kc3 Rxh2 47.Bxf5 Kg5 was winning for Black. Maybe 42.Rb6 was a better try with ideas like Ba6 and Kb4. White's King is active and his situation has improved but objectively speaking Black is still better though momentum would have been on David's side.
Pruess,D (2459) - Readey,J (2331) [B07] 1.e4 d6 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 6.d4 c5 7.Bc4 0-0 8.e6 Nb6 9.exf7+ Kh8 10.Be2 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Nc6 12.Be3 Rxf7 13.0-0 Bd7 14.a4 Nb4 15.Nf3 Rc8 16.Bd4 Rxf4 17.Bxg7+ Kxg7 18.g3 Rf6 19.Ne4 Nxc2 20.Nxf6 exf6 21.Qxd6 Nxa1 22.Rxa1 Bxa4 23.Qb4 Qe8 24.Kf1 Bc6 25.Nd4 Nd5 26.Qd6 a6 27.Re1 Qd7 28.Qxd7+ Bxd7 29.Bf3 Rc4 30.Ne6+ Bxe6 31.Rxe6 Rc5 32.Rd6 Ne3+ 33.Ke2 Nf5 34.Rd7+ Kh6 35.Kd3 b5 36.Ra7 Re5 37.Bc6 Re3+ 38.Kd2 Re6 39.Rxa6 Rd6+ 40.Kc3 Nd4 41.Bb7 Rd7 42.Bg2 Nf5 43.Rxf6 b4+ 44.Kxb4 Rd2 45.Be4 Rd4+ 46.Kc5 Rxe4 47.b4 Re5+ 48.Kc4 Re2 49.g4 Re4+ 50.Kc5 Rxg4 51.b5 Rg2 52.b6 Rc2+ 53.Kb5 Kg5 54.Rf8 Nd4+ 55.Ka4 Rb2 56.Ka5 Rxh2 57.b7 Rb2 58.Ka6 h5 59.Rd8 Nf5 60.b8Q Rxb8 61.Rxb8 h4 62.Kb5 h3 63.Rh8 Nh4 64.Ra8 h2 65.Ra1 Nf3 66.Rh1 Kg4 67.Kc4 Kg3 68.Kd5 Kg2 69.Ra1 h1Q 70.Rxh1 Kxh1 71.Ke4 Kg2 72.Kf4 Kf2 73.Kg4 Ke3 74.Kg3 Ke4 75.Kg4 g5 76.Kg3 Ne5 0-1 12-year-old Michael Lee is Seattle's no longer secret weapon and with 4 1/2 from 5 is one of the leagues top MVP candidates. Certainly Seattle would not be where they are without him. Sam got a very comfortable game from the opening but then spoiled things with one innocent looking move - 16...Bf7?. I would prefer to be Black after 16...a6 or 16...Nd7 but after the game continuation 17.Bxe4! was very strong as the absence of the Bishop from e6 is felt ( 17...fxe4 18.f5). Sam's last chance was 23...Rxd6 24.cxd6 Qf7. After 23...Be6 it was all over. Sam will do better next time.
Lee,M (2102) - Shankland,S (2106) [A21] 1.c4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e3 d6 6.Nge2 0-0 7.0-0 e5 8.d3 c6 9.f4 Be6 10.b3 Qb6 11.d4 exd4 12.exd4 d5 13.Ba3 Re8 14.c5 Qc7 15.b4 Ne4 16.Rb1 Bf7 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.d5 cxd5 19.Nb5 Qe7 20.Nd6 Rd8 21.Bb2 d4 22.Nxd4 Bxa2 23.Ra1 Be6 24.Nxe6 Bxb2 25.Qb3 Bxa1 26.Nxd8+ Kg7 27.Rxa1 Qxd8 28.Qf7+ Kh6 29.Rd1 Qh8 30.Nxf5+ Kh5 31.Ne3 Kh6 32.Rd5 Qa1+ 33.Kg2 1-0 One last thing just to set the record straight. The Mechanics' played boards two and three with an initial time advantage of 85 minutes to 65 minutes ( the other two boards were 75 minutes each). This was due to the fact that Seattle was responsible for some irregularities in presenting their lineup. Teams playing Wednesday matches are required to submit their lineups Sunday night. Seattle did this but their manager, Clint Ballard, had problems receiving e-mails and failed to receive one from a player who was not be able to play Wednesday due to a work commitment. This player was listed on Sunday night as one of the participants in the match. On Monday at 2:35 pm I received an e-mail from Clint letting me know about the problem. He asked if John Readey could substitute on board two as the other Seattle players had already started their preparation. I responded five minutes later that this was fine but that the request needed to be run through the league director Greg Shahade. Greg then explained that the league rules required that players had to play in their assigned order, that the original board two Slava Mikhailuk needed to move to board two from board three and Readey would play on three. I expected that this would be the end of the matter. More than a day later Mr. Shahade and I had still not heard back from Clint confirming his acceptance. As you could imagine this was not pleasant for our second and third boards, Vinay Bhat and David Pruess, who only a day before the match had no idea who they were playing. Finally, with still no word from Mr. Ballard, despite repeated requests via phone and e-mail, the league director Greg Shahade told Seattle that they would play with the lineup they requested but in the proper order. Additionally they would be hit with a time penalty on boards two and three. Initially this was to be G/90 vs. G/60, later it was reduced to G/85 to G/65 which was more generous to Seattle that a strict interpretation of the rules would have required. Mr. Ballard has done many wonderful things for chess.His support of the Seattle team in the USCL and the Slugfest tournament ( this weekend with 7 GMs playing!) have made him the Maecenas of chess in the Pacific Northwest Chess. He is much to be commended for his energy in promoting the royal game. What I don't understand is why he couldn't call the league director for over a day. 2006 Standings
Whoever has the most points in the "W" (win) column, is in the lead in the standings. Total game points + win percentage are used as a tiebreaker. To see the rest of the tiebreak procedures click here Playoff Procedures: * Top three teams from each division qualify for the playoffs. Results are calculated by Total MATCH points. ** The first round of the playoffs will consist of the 2nd+3rd place team from each division playing each other in the "wildcard round". The 2nd place team gets draw odds. The division winners receive a first round bye. *** The Semi-Finals of the playoffs consists of the wildcard winners facing off against the division champions. The division champions receive draw odds. **** The League Championship consists of both Semi-Final winners playing each other. There are no draw odds in this match and if tied there will be a tiebreaker.
3) Sergey Kudrin wins Western States OpenGM Sergey Kudrin won the 26th Annual Western States Open held October 6-8 at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno with score of 5 from 6. Tying for second at 4.5 in the multi event which drew 314 players were GMs Ildar Ibragimov, Eugene Perelshteyn, Jaan Ehlvest and Gregory Serper plus IM Enrico Sevillano. MI Members Josh Friedel and Alex Yermolinsky had 4. Go to http://beta.uschess.org/frontend/news_7_140.php to see Josh's blog on the event. A complete report will appear in the next Newsletter. 4) Alan Pollard (1946-2006)Continuing our tribute to Alan Pollard we run these reminiscences by Max Burkett. Among Bay Area chess players, Dennis Fritzinger and Jim Tarjan knew Alan the best, but I also knew him well. In 1968 a Master-Expert event at the Mechanics was organized by Duane Clarke who hoped to bolster his rating, the entry fee $1 and the prize fund $0. The attendance was what one might expect: Nine players showed up. To fill in, Duane called on a 1925 player - Alan Pollard. I was in the middle of the field and played Alan in the 1st round, winning easily. Alan was a soldier stationed at the Presidio but he lived in North Beach, sharing an apartment with Chuck Savery and Garry Berry. My wife and I spent a lot of time at the nearby Coffee Gallery, so I became acquainted with him. That summer, Fritz was drafted and moved into my living room prior to being sent to Viet Nam. At the last minute, we decided to play in the Marysville, Washington, event while Dennis' sister Joyce and my ex, Mary, painted the pad. This required that Dennis and I fly to arrive on time. For the return trip, Dennis sold his seat to Alan and rode with Arthur Spiller, Bill Bills, Jude Acers, and Ray Schutt, in Arthur's car. Alan returned to the Bay Area in 1980 and was my housesitter for the 1980 and 1981 Lone Pine tournaments. And although I gave myself top billing, Alan was the editor, typist, and printer for the 1982 US Open bulletins, with only minor help from Tom Lux and me. Alan moved back to LA about the time I moved to Montana. I find it remarkable is that Alan's rating went up 500 points while he was an adult. He had a load of chess talent. The last time I talked to Alan, circa 1990, he said "You're not going to believe this, but I have a real job. I sell advertising". I didn't tell him this, but his position saddened me. He had finally been beaten down to the point where he accepted that commerce was more important than art. Alan Pollard was a comrade. 5) World Championship matchHere are the rules for the tiebreakers tomorrow. Incidentally Ruslan Ponomariov said that if the match will be drawn after 12 games, then Kramnik will have superior chances in the tiebreak games because he plays rapid chess better than Topalov. : Kramnik already defeated Veselin on tiebreak in Las-Vegas 1999. 3.7 Tie-breaks 3.7.1 If the scores are level after the regular twelve (12) games, after a new drawing of colours, four (4) tie-break games shall be played. The games shall be played using the electronic clock starting with 25 minutes on the clock for each player with an addition of 10 seconds after each move. 3.7.2 If the scores are level after the games in paragraph 3. 7. 1, then, after a new drawing of colours, two (2) five-minute games shall be played with the addition of 10 seconds after each move. 3.7.3 If the score is still level, the players shall play a single decisive sudden death game. The player, who wins the drawing of lots, may choose the colour. White shall receive 6 minutes, black shall receive 5 minutes, without any addition. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces is declared as winner. 3.7.4 Play shall be governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess for Rapid and Blitz Games (Appendices B and C of the Laws of Chess), except where they are overridden by the specific provisions of these regulations:
a. Players need not record their moves. An Arbiter will record the moves (Article B3). 3.7.5 Between the tie-break games as well as before the start of the sudden death game there shall be a pause of at least 10 minutes, unless the Chief Arbiter decides otherwise. 3.8 Money Prizes for the World Chess Championship Match 3.8.1 The prize fund of the WCC match 2006 is minimum 1,000,000 USD (free of taxes) to be shared equally between Mr Topalov and Mr Kramnik independent from the final result. 3.8.2 If a player withdraws after the start of a match without having a satisfactory reason for doing so, he shall receive no prize money. The chairman of the Frankfurt Chess Tigers, Hans-Walter Schmitt, has published a remarkable interview which culminates in a call for a boycott of Topalov at major tournaments. Schmitt is the organiser of the Random Chess festival Mainz Chess Classic, which collects hundreds of top players for a Rapid and Random Chess festival every year. Here the main points of his feisty interview: FIDE does not realise what they have done. The biggest mistake was to hold the World Championship in Elista and not in Reykjavik, Berlin, Paris, London, Madrid, New York, Rio de Janairo or Sydney. Public checks would then have been easier. The world-wide publicity generated by the scandal is short-lived, and it brings a noble sport into disrepute. Suspicion of cheating in a sport drives away the sponsors. This event has cast general doubt on the entire chess scene - now anyone who is playing well can be accused of electronic doping. The Topalov team used their accusations of cheating as a psychological weapon, but it will come back to them like a bumerang. Experts will check how a player who for many years has played consistantly in tournaments at a 2730-2740 level suddenly, at the age of 30, climbs to consistantly over 2800. How he was able to produce such an unbelievable series of victories, in San Luis, Morelia/Linares and Sofia. In the rapid chess events in Leon and Monaco he plays like a 2700 player. If Topalov was right in his accusations against Kramnik, then the latter would be destroyed and banned from chess for life. But looking at the facts I am on Kramnik's side, like the 100 grandmasters who have supported him, while none were on Topalov's side. The organisers of Wijk aan Zee, Morelia/Linares, Monaco, Dortmund, Mainz and Corsica should threaten to boycott the Topalov team if they do not immediately cease with their accusations and tricks. A two-year boycott would hit them where it hurts most: on their wallets. The top ten players should boycott the Sofia tournament which is organised by Silvio Danialov. Topalov will win the world championship in Elista [the interview was published after Topalov had won game eight and equalised 4:4]. The player who is unjustly attacked will normally lose and succumb to the tricks of his adversary. There is usually no short-term justice. But in the end the better player will prevail. I am on Kramnik's side, but I fear that in the end the great tactician Danailov will be the proud winner in this contest. 6) Pumpkin Chess Championship of Half Moon Bay
Coastside Chess Clubs Summary of activities Speed-Chess Prize Tournament, BugHouse Chess Event, Chess Simul with Dr. Schiller, Chess Lessons for Beginners, Chess Demo, Book and Software, Chess Art Our Mission:
Castside Chess Clubs aspires to be an outstanding educational-athletic organization that
provides a high-quality experience to every athlete. A high-quality experience is one in
which every athlete...
o Is coached using the principles of Positive Coaching*
Contacts and Links 7) Upcoming Events
J.J. Dolan Memorial - October 28 EBCC October Swiss Saturday, October 14th through Sunday, October 15th, 2006 A USCF rated 4-round Tournament in 2 sections Open to Players of all Ages and Strengths Prizes: (Based on 40 full entries) Open Section $150, $100, $50; 1st U2000: $100 Reserve (U1800) Section $100, $75, $50; 1st U1600: $75; 1st U1400: $75 Entry fee: $35 if mailed before 10/7/06, $40 at site. $5 discount for East Bay Chess Club Members If you submit the online form, it will count as though mailed to the Club on day submitted. Registration/Check-in: 10-10:45 AM on Saturday Or you can fill out the form below, but make sure to show up before the first round begins! Current USCF membership is required and, if needed, can be purchased at the Club. Rounds: 11 AM and 4:00 PM on both days If you need a bye for any round, please make a note on your entry form. Time control: 30 moves in 90 minutes, followed by Sudden Death in 1 hour. Nov. 25-26 California Classic Thanksgiving Chess Festival GPP: 10 California Northern 4SS, G/45. University of San Francisco-Cupertino, 20085 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014. 3 Sections: Expert, Reserve, Booster. All entry must be received by 11/18/2006. All Prizes Guaranteed. Expert (1800+) Grand Prix section, Prizes: $$670; 1st $320-2nd 150-3rd 50. Top U2100, U2000, U1900-$50 each. Available 1-Day Option. 30/90 G/1, 30/90 G/30. Rds: Sat: 10am-3pm. Sun: 1:45pm-5:45pm. On-site Reg: 8:30am-9:30am. Reserve (1200-1800) Prizes: $720; 1st-$320-2nd-$150. Top U1700, U1600, U1500, U1400, U1300-$50 Available 1-Day Option. 30/90 G/1, 30/90 G/30, Rds: Sat: 10am-3pm; Sun: 1:45pm-5:45pm. On-site Reg: 8:30am-9:30am. Booster (U1200): Prizes: Trophies to Top 5 overall. Top U1000, U900, U800, U700- all receive trophies. Max: 1 Trophy/Player. G/45. Available 1-Day Option. Rds: Sun: 10:00am, 12:15am, 2:00pm, 3:45 pm. All Entries To: Jason Gurtovoy, 34249 Fremont Blvd. #158 Fremont, CA 94555 On-site Reg: 8:30am -9:30am. Standard USCF Tie-Breaks will be used for trophies. For More Information: Jason at sfchessclassic@yahoo.com http://www.geocities.com/sfchessclassic for info/advance entries. E-mail: sfchessclassic@yahoo.com. Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/sfchessclassic. Entry: Discounts on Entry Fee for entering Multiple Events in Festival. Please download flyer from www.geocities.com/sfchessclassic for more information. NS, NC, W. |