Kasparov Chess Foundation Celebrating 10th Anniversary on June 16 in NYC With Chess Festival

Kasparov Chess Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special chess festival in Bryant Park, Midtown, NYC, Saturday, June 16. The celebrations would feature a day of chess and fun for children of all ages and skill levels.

Meet & Greet Garry Kasparov
Meet and greet legendary World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, who will be available for special presentation, book signings, photos, and words of encouragement to all players. Other celebrities are expected to take part in the festivities.  

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Online Chess Tournament Open to All - $38,000 in Prizes

No matter where you are in India, you can now play this online chess tournament from June to August: Online Chess Blitz Grand Prix. The chess competition will be held via the Internet and anyone can try winning part of the 30,000 euro ($30,000 approx.) prize money. This chess Grand Prix is being organised by the Russian Chess Federation. The competition is open to everyone and all players have equal opportunities! Even though many leading chess players will participate, no one will be able to play in the Finals without winning in the qualifying tournaments.

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French Chess GM Marie Sebag Quits TV Reality Show Secret Story 6 in 48 Hours

Grandmaster and French Women's Chess Champion has left the Secret Story 6 edition within 48 hours of entering it. When leaving the house with her suitcase, in the confessional room, Sebag said, "I want to leave the Secret Story House because I do not feel at home here." Sebag also revealed her secret of being a chess grandmaster and French women's chess champion. She is ranked 12th among women chess players in the world, eighth among women chess players in Europe and first in France among women chess players. 

 

Secret Story is quite like the Indian Bigg Boss. Participants have to enter the house and keep a secret. Every participant has a secret and he has to 'save' his secret while trying to discover others' secret! The participants are cut off from the rest of the world during the show. Possibly GM Sebag thought it was better to be out of the house and play some chess. Being alone without chess can be boring for anyone!

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World Chess Rapid Championship for Women Live from Batumi India Time 4.30 pm Today; Koneru Humpy Second Seed

GM Koneru Humpy

India's Koneru Humpy begins Women's World Chess Rapid Championship 2012 quest today

It's time to watch live the Batumi Rapid World Chess Championship for women within an hour with India's top woman chess player Grandmaster Koneru Humpy (2589) playing as second seed at the event. Top seed at the Batumi Rapid Chess is Anna Muzychuk (2598) of Slovakia. Of course, India wants to have their second world chess champion within a few days. Hopefully, GM Koneru Humpy is up to the challenge. The other Indian chess player in the field is the talented Harika Dronavalli at seed nine. You can watch the tournament live every day at the official website. 

The top 20 players at the event include:

No.		Name	FED	Rtg
1	GM	Muzychuk Anna	SLO	2598
2	GM	Koneru Humpy	IND	2589
3	GM	Zhao Xue	CHN	2549
4	GM	Dzagnidze Nana	GEO	2547
5	GM	Lahno Kateryna	UKR	2546
6	GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	RUS	2532
7	IM	Gunina Valentina	RUS	2530
8	GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	BUL	2518
9	GM	Harika Dronavalli	IND	2508
10	GM	Chiburdanidze Maia	GEO	2500
11	IM	Khotenashvili Bela	GEO	2500
12	GM	Zhu Chen	QAT	2491
13	IM	Paehtz Elisabeth	GER	2491
14	GM	Danielian Elina	ARM	2484
15	GM	Socko Monika	POL	2484
16	GM	Cramling Pia	SWE	2478
17	GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	RUS	2457
18	IM	Krush Irina	USA	2457
19	IM	Khurtsidze Nino	GEO	2456
20	IM	Muzychuk Mariya	UKR	2456

For more details about the chess tournament and the subsequent Women's World Blitz Chess Championship read our detailed post:

World Chess Championships - Sexy, Exciting, and Fast?

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World Chess Champion 2012 Vishy Anand Comments on Tiebreak Win Against Gelfand

India's Viswanathan Anand - the reigning world chess champion - retains his crown by beating Israel's challenger Boris Gelfand in the tiebreak of the 2012 World Chess Championship in Moscow. Here are Viswanathan Anand's first comments on the match and tiebreak in the press conference right after successfully retaining his title:

- This morning when I woke up I had no idea how the tiebreak would go as the match had been so even.

Right now, I am too tense to even be happy. I am just relieved.

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Anand wins World Chess Championship Title Fourth Time in a Row!

Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand on Wednesday retained his World Chess Championships title - his fifth one and fourth in a row - against Israel's Boris Gelfand in closely-fought rapid tiebreak. Anand was a picture of complete calm as he went on to beat Gelfand 2.5-1.5. Earlier, the two grandmasters had tied in the classical time-control games with a score of 6-6.

The first game of the tiebreaker ended in a draw in 33 moves before Anand beat Gelfand in the second game in 77 moves. The two of the remaining four-game rapid chess tiebreaker ended in a draw as Anand successfully defended his title.

This was 42-year-old Anand’s fifth World Championships title and fourth crown in a row. The Indian chess wizard bagged his first world title in 2000 before winning three in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2010. He has been the world champion since 2007.

Anand wins approximately USD 1.4 million —— 55 per cent of the total prize fund of USD 2.55 million —— while Gelfand will get the remaining amount. The Indian ace won the 2007 crown in a tournament format among eight players. In 2008 and 2010, he beat Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria respectively after the format changed to championship match between the defending champion and a challenger.

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Anand a Draw and Few Minutes Away from Becoming World Chess Champion 2012

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India is just a draw away and a few minutes from keeping his crown! He is leading Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in a rapid tiebreaker for deciding the title in Moscow.

Tied at 6-6 after 12 games, the champion and the challenger are playing four rapid games with a time limit of 25 minutes per player. Anand and Gelfand drew the first game. The second game was an exciting win for Vishy Anand. They drew the third game and Gelfand is now playing the fourth game to save the match against Anand. The score favours Anand 2-1 points.

Hundreds of chess fans are watching Wednesday's tiebreak in a hall at the State Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia's finest museums. The winner takes home $1.5 million, while the loser is awarded $1 million. Anand last successfully defended his title in 2010 against Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov.

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Andrey Filatov: I’m Pleased that Museums Want to Hold Chess Tournaments

Main sponsor Andrey Filatov of the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship has said that he is very pleased about his idea of holding a chess event in a museum has found favor with organisers around the world. Filatov was speaking to Eteri Kublashvili for a special interview ahead of the tiebreaks that would decide the 2012 World Chess Champion in Moscow on Wednesday. Here are excerpts from the interview via the official website.

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Is Anand Afraid of Gelfand @ 2012 World Chess Championship, Asks Israeli Newspaper

Eli Shvidler, writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz has an interesting analysis to write. The report titled 'Armaggedon beckons for Gelfand and Anand' discusses the tiebreak format first. Then, it takes up the statistics.

Shvidler writes: The dry statistics are very heavily in Anand's favor. In lightning games, he holds an 8-1 advantage over Gelfand. However, Anand's last victory over his Israeli rival was in 2007; since then, they each have one victory.

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2012 Anand, Gelfand Match Tiebreak Live Today from 1.30 pm India Time

Anand, Gelfand explain Game 12 Draw

The exciting and historic chess day for deciding the 2012 Anand-Gelfand World Chess Championship is here and the games would be broadcast live from India time 1 pm via the official website.

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World Chess Championship 2012: Nerves to Decide Anand, Gelfand Match

Tiebreak Format

Tune in for the tiebreak live broadcast of 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship - India time 1.30 pm on Wednesday, May 30, at official website. 

How many games will be played? It could be four rapid games, 10 blitz games and an Armageddon! In fact, fans could witness as many as 15 fast and furious chess games between India's reigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and Israel's challenger Boris Gelfand. World Champions who have won the crown on tiebreaks include Anatoly Karpov in 1998; Rustam Kasimdzhanov in 2004 and Vladimir Kramnik in 2006. The system of tiebreaks has not been applied in the World Chess Championship for quite some time. 

India's Viswanathan Anand starts as favourite for the rapid games on Wednesday. Traditionalists view the tiebreaks as a profane method to decide a world chess championship match of the classical time controls. 

Tiebreak Rules:
Colors will be drawn and four rapid games will be played. The time control for these games will be 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the score is tied after the four rapid tie break games, colors will be drawn and two blitz games (5 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move) will be played. If the score is tied after two blitz games, another two-game blitz match will be played, under the same terms. The process will repeat, if necessary, until five blitz matches have been played.

If the score is tied after ten blitz games, a single sudden-death Armageddon game will determine the champion. The winner of a draw of lots gets to choose the colour to play, with white given 5 minutes and Black 4 minutes. Beginning with move 61, a three-second increment will be added following each move. If the game is drawn then the player of the Black pieces is declared champion.

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World Chess Championships - Sexy, Exciting, and Fast?

Top Seed Anna Muzychuk

If you are a little taken aback by that chess headline, don't be. Such a chess championship can truly take place. In fact, it would be true from May 31 itself! The World Rapid Chess Championship for Women is taking place from May 30 to June 6 in Batumi, Georgia. The championship will be held at the swanky Sheraton Hotel. It is being organized by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation. Read full post for top players' list and format. Women's World Chess Championship challenger Koneru Humpy is the second seed. Also playing is the very attacking 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, European Women's Chess Champion Valentina Gunina, Armenia's top woman player Elina Danielian, and others.

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Chess Fan Israeli PM Netanyahu Follows Anand, Gelfand Game 12 Live

Gelfand playing chess with
Israeli PM Netanyahu and
Sharansky in 2010.

Jerusalem: Chess has really caught on in Israel thanks to Grandmaster Boris Gelfand playing the 2012 World Chess Championship against India's Viswanathan Anand in Moscow. Game 12 - the last one in the classical time controls during the match - was played on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is a chess lover followed the entire match even during his busy schedule! 

The official website off the championship had a high-definition live broadcast of Game 12 - as of all other games - and the same was relayed on a giant screen in a room next to Prime Minister Netanyahu's office. The Israeli Prime Minister watched the game along with former minister Natan Sharansky in between meetings.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loves chess and is known to promote it enthusiastically. He had met Israeli Grandmaster Gelfand in March 2010. Meanwhile, thousands of Israeli chess fans have landed in Moscow to cheer their favourite chess player. Gelfand is the first Israeli chess player to have gone so far high up on the chess ladder. 

Anand and Gelfand are tied at 6-6 points after 12 chess games of classical time control and a tiebreak would be held on Wednesday to decide the 2012 World Chess Champion. You can follow the live broadcast of the chess match tiebreak from India time 1 pm onwards at the official website.

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World Chess Championship 2012 Goes into Tiebreak Slugfest with Game 12 Draw

World Chess Championship 2012 

Game 12 about to begin. Photo: Official Website.

Game 12 of the Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championshi phas ended in a draw. The match will now be decided on Wednesday with a rapid/blitz tiebreak. In Game 12, the opening was another Rossolimo Sicilian and although Anand seemed to be in an attacking mode initially, the game ended in a draw in 22 moves.You can tune in to the live tiebreak broadcast of the 2012 World Chess Championship on May 30, Wednesday at the official website at 1 pm India time.

The World Chess Championship 2012 is being staged in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, between the current World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and the winner of the Candidates tournament Boris Gelfand of Israel. The match is over twelve games and lasts from May 11 to 30. The prize fund is US $2.55 million, the winner getting $1.53 million (60%), the loser $1.02 million (40%).

Here are the Game 12 moves to replay in our Chess King applet

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A Piece for Every Chess Game - Dedicating a Tretyakov Masterpiece to Every Game at Anand-Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship (Посвящение шедевры Третьяковской Каждая игра в 2012 году, Ананд, Гельфанд Чемпионате мира по шахматам)

The venue for the 2012 World Chess Championship between India's reigning world chess champion and challenger Israel's Boris Gelfand is a unique one. The Match is being staged in the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow. After a 6-6 equal score, for the first time in the history of chess, a rapid/blitz tiebreak play would decide the champion! 

But, back to art and chess. They indeed go together. Theory of technique, style, and methods all find a fascinating interpretation – a unique one at that – in a master's hands: both in art and chess. 

Every single position during a chess game is a work of art. Every move creates a new painting. Every chess player is an artist. Like for art, interpretation is everything.

The State Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most famous museums in the world. Its collection highlights Russian art with exclusive completeness from the ancient time (11-12th century) to the present day. 

Shilpa Mehra dedicates masterpieces from the Tretyakov Gallery to each of the 12 games of classical control at the 2012 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand. Read this full special chess article here.

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Gelfand: Vishy is not just an excellent speed chess player – he’s an excellent player in all time controls!

At the press conference after Game 11, the challenger explained why he had spent almost 40 minutes pondering the opening. “What can I say? We were playing a rare system, and you hardly ever see 8...Bd7. I knew it was an important moment – White had to decide what to do next. I had many options... I came up with a basic plan and started to play a lot quicker. The first critical moment arose at the 16th move. I spent a lot of time on this move as well because I knew that White had quite a few options once again. I needed to get my pawn to a5 somehow and play Ne5. I started by moving the knight. Perhaps 17.a4 would have been a more accurate move.”

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Game 12 Live Today 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship 4.15 pm India Time

Day 19 of the World Chess Championship 2012 between India's Viswanathan Anand and Israel's Boris Gelfand is here with chess Game 12 - the final one - to be played today. If the world chess champion is still not decided today and the game ends in a draw, the tiebreak would be played on Wednesday. You can watch Game 12 Live on the official website from India time 4.15 pm onwards. In the commentary box would be 14th world chess champion (2000) Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and New in Chess editor Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam.

As you know, the world chess championship 2012 is being held in a most beautiful venue - the Tretyakov Gallery.

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Who Is Andrey Filatov? - Forbes Profile, Interview of 2012 World Chess Championship Main Sponsor

This is the English version of the interview with Andrey Filatov - the main sponsor of the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship in Moscow. It appeared in Russian in Kommersant.

The opening of the main chess event of the season – the world championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand – is taking place at the State Tretyakov Gallery. The driving force behind staging this contest in Moscow and the main sponsor of the match, ANDREY FAILATOV, a shareholder in the N-Trans Group, told Kommersant’s correspondent ALEXEY DOSPEKHOV why he decided to invest money in chess and how he plans to change the economics of chess and link it to Russian art.

– I’m primarily interested, of course, in your motivation. Why finance a world championship chess match? Is it to boost your own image, a desire to help the sport you were very seriously involved in when you were young?
– A country that fights for all the major international events – the APEC summit, the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the Universiade – simply cannot ignore a competition which at one time was one of its main symbols. When Boris Gelfand, who was a student friend of mine, won the candidates’ tournament, he said that the venue for the match had not been decided yet, but there were various rumours going around that it would be either in India or somewhere else. It turned out that there had indeed been no application from Moscow, so I had a think and decided we had to try.

Click on photo to see
Andrey Filatov's Forbes profile

– You realised there was a good chance of winning?
– On the contrary, I wasn’t sure we would win the right to host the match. But I could see that in any case one way or another there would be a winner. If Moscow’s bid failed, Boris Gelfand would earn a bigger prize fund, because the rival bid would have to beat it with money. And if it won, so much the better: the country would gain a serious competition that had not been staged here in the history of modern Russia. You’ll agree that’s a simple and understandable motive. Then it started to develop in terms of the current situation with chess, a new economics of chess, and the main points on which it could be based.

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Candidates Chess Matches 2011 - The Grischuk Game That Brought Gelfand to Moscow

What brought Israel's Boris Gelfand to the World Chess Championship 2012 in Moscow? Israeli Boris Gelfand won the last - sixth game - in the FIDE Candidates Matches 2011 final in Kazan against Russian Alexander Grischuk to become the challenger for the World Champion Viswanathan Anand from India and is therefore, now playing in Moscow.

In the press conference immediately after the sixth game Gelfand had said he was lucky when Grischuk chose a variation in Gruenfeld which was very familiar to him. With novelty in move 13 white really surprised Russian GM and after move 16 the clocks depicted a very unusual picture: black had spent exactly one hour more than white: Gelfand – 9 minutes, Grischuk – 1 hour and 9 minutes. It was a great game for the Israeli Grandmaster Boris Gelfand as it was the biggest success of his chess career. 

Tomorrow - Monday, May 28, is Game 12 of the Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012 in the classical control. You can watch Game 12 Live from India time 4.15 onwards at the official website of the world chess championship. 


You can replay the Grischuk-Gelfand chess game 6 from the Kazan Candidates Matches 2011 in our Chess King applet.

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World Chess Championship 2012 Game 12 - Revisiting Topalov-Anand 2010

Everyone has just one thought about the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship? Will Anand win the last chess game of classical time control like he did against Veselin Topalov in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2010? 

(In Chess King diagram on left: The crucial 31. ...e4 that led Anand to a World Chess Championship victory against Topalov in 2010. Replay the game at the end of this post.)

Defending world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will have White in Monday's last game. He had won with Black against Topalov in 2010! The scores in the Anand, Gelfand match are tied at 5.5-5.5 after 11 games. But, Gelfand has proven to be much tougher than Topalov. In the 2012 world chess match, both the challenger and the champion have already shared one victory each. Should Game 12 also end in a draw tiebreak games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.

In case of a draw in the last game, the players will play four rapid games first and then, if necessary, five sets of two blitz games to decide the crown. An Armageddon game is the last possibility. Gelfand is not too bothered about Anand's expertise at shorter versions of the game. "I would say that with all his results Vishy has proved that he is one of the best, or maybe the best at all-time controls. Look at his record — otherwise he wouldn't have been world champion for so many years," he said.

Meanwhile, "Israelis are indeed showing their pride and support for Gelfand. Many hardcore chess fans have come to Moscow to see the match in person, as opposed to following it online like tens of thousands of others are doing," reported daily Ha`aretz, as the championship is generating more and more interest in the Israeli public. 

Several Israelis arrived in the Russian capital a few days before the match started. Even though lodging in one of the world`s most expensive cities requires both daring and deep pockets, many continue to follow as the match enters the final stages. 

"And those aren`t even the bulk of Gelfand`s supporters, who are expected to arrive. That group includes several high-ranking chess players and a fair number of amateurs, who decided to combine a tour of Moscow`s countless historical sites with the final stage of the match," the report added.

A lot of these amateur and professional chess players have gathered in the centre of Israel to watch the match. 

"Of course, the chess players are excited about this," Yoav Nissenbaum, a member of the Israel Chess Federation said, adding, "This is the first time that an Israeli has made it to the world championship." Ido Ben Artzi, a 17-year-old grandmaster, says that he hardly misses a single move in the match.

"I try to get home in time. I go over the game and see what I think of every single move, without relying on the commentary for help. That`s how I put myself in the players` places," he said. Replay the last 2010 Topalov-Anand World Chess Championship Game in our Chess King applet.

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Anand, Gelfand Game 11 in 2012 World Chess Match - Vishy Surprises Gelfand With 8. ... Bd7

The chess move surprise that Boris Gelfand had prepared for Viswanathan Anand in Game 10 got a reply in the form of another surprise chess move from the reigning world chess champion in Game 11. Anand chose the Nimzo-Indian Defence for Black (like in Game 9) and left his opponent thinking very, very long after 8…Bd7. 

 Photos: Official Website

Eventually, of course, the Queens were traded and though Boris Gelfand held the advantage of two bishops, the “hanging pawns” in the centre came under fire from enemy rooks. On the twentieth move, the Indian grandmaster launched tactical operations in the centre, preventing his opponent from stabilising the situation and strengthening his advantage. Running out of time to think, Gelfand decided to simplify things after which their positions were completely equalised. On the 24th move, the opponents agreed to a draw. 

The guests of honour on May 26 were the famous Russian musicians, pianist Nikolai Lugansky and cellist Alexander Knyazev. Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik delivered a lecture to children and parents and also took numerous questions from the young audience. The world's second highest rated chess grandmaster Levon Aronian also visited the venue briefly.

Following Game 11, the score is even at 5.5-5.5. Sunday, May 27, is an off-day at the match. Game 12 - the final one with classical time control - will be held on Monday, May 28. Viswanathan Anand will play White. If the score is still even after this game, the world champion will be determined by a tiebreak (in games with accelerated time control) on Wednesday, May 30. As always, you can watch the excellent live broadcast of Game 12 of the 2012 World Chess Championship at the official website.

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On Chess: High Standards Credited to Fischer

An interesting chess column in The Columbus Dispatch by Shelby Lyman. Read on:

Before the rise of Bobby Fischer, international chess — even among the vaunted Soviets — was sometimes a quasi-amateur affair. Several of the top Soviet grandmasters depended on inspiration rather than diligence and preparation. In a category of his own was the young Mikhail Tal, whose creative flair at the board astonished and terrified foes. Often, he seemed to make up his game as he went along. His moves weren’t always correct, but, in the hurly-burly of struggle, they were effective. He became world champion at 24.

At the other extreme were players such as Fischer, Efim Geller and Viktor Korchnoi: harbingers of a more radical work ethic to come, laboring with little respite at the chess grindstone. Mikhail Botvinnik set a new standard for preparation and performance.

But it was the young American, Fischer, who raised the professional banner and chess work ethic to its highest level. As he explained to fellow grandmaster Larry Evans, Fischer focused on the game, consciously or unconsciously, 24 hours a day.

The previous bohemian approach to chess is no longer workable. This is, as some older grandmasters wistfully and woefully explain, largely both the contribution and the curse of Robert James Fischer. (Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.)

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French Chess Champ in 'Secret Story' French Reality TV Show

This Libran chess grandmaster and former French women's chess champion is entering French television reality show 'Secret Story' that is quite like the Indian 'Big Boss'. The contestants entered the house on May 25.

This is the sixth season of 'Secret Story'. The 'Secret Story' keeps contestants locked in the house for 10 weeks without any outside contact. The house is called 'La Maison des Secrets'. There are cameras all over the house except in the bathrooms. There is one twist unlike 'Big Boss'. Every contestant has a secret and the other participants try to discover that secret. A contestant wins the money of the person whose secret he guesses. Each participant has €10,000. Each Tuesday, two contestants are nominated and put up against the public vote to be evicted on the Friday. The girls and boys nominate the opposite sex, alternating weekly. So, what is Marie Sebag's secret? That she is a French chess champion. She proves how a frail appearance can be so deceptive. Unfortunately, the videos cannot be re-played in India from the television website. Don't worry, the other contestants cannot read this chess news snippet!

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2012 Anand Gelfand World Chess - A Funny Batman-Joker Chess Video Dedication

The 2012 Anand Gelfand World Chess Championship has defied definitions so far. Here is a funny video we find apt for the situation. It is up to you to decide who is 'Batman' and who is the 'Joker'! In the end, the Joker says in Russian: Why so serious!

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Game 11 Moves - Anand's Easy Draw versus Gelfand at 2012 World Chess Championship

2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship Game 11 in Moscow: Saturday chess did not have the fireworks expected. Reigning world chess champion India's Viswanathan Anand has settled into his rhythm and obtained an easy draw against Israel's Boris Gelfand in the game. The Game 12 - the final in the series of classical control chess games in the current world chess match - would be played on Monday and would be available live through the fantastic official website feed from India time 4.15 pm. Meanwhile, here are the Game 11 moves in our Chess King applet.

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Women's World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Batumi from May 30

For those worried about the chess lull once the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship in Moscow ends on May 30, there is the more sexy Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2012 coming up in Batumi, Georgia! The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012 will be held from May 30 to June 6 at te Sheraton Hotel. The Association of Chess Professionals and the Georgian Chess Federation are coming together to organise this women's chess event. An interesting aspect would be that zero tolerance rules would not apply. More information about the chess championship available at official website.

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Crucial Game 11 Live Today - 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship (Betting odds Updated)

The crucial Game 11 is on today! Tune in to the live webcast from the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship via the official website at about India time 4.15 pm. Only two games in classical time control are left in the main match. If the score remains tied after Monday's game, a tiebreak would be played on Wednesday. There is a rest day on Sunday tomorrow.

 Game 10 underway on Thursday. Photos: Official Website.

Vladimir Potkin, Vladimir Below, 

and Anatoly Karpov gave a simul to talented children

Expectations from Game 11 at World Chess Championship 2012

• Israel's Boris Gelfand, the challenger would use his White to the best advantage. The risk is great. Gelfand has been on the offensive and he would like to decide matters for once and all.
• India's Vishy Anand has regained his rhythm. He has immense patience which he displayed in Game 9 by building an unbreakable fortress and letting Gelfand hammer at iron falls with no use.
• Most people think it is to Vishy's advantage if the match goes into tiebreak. However, Gelfand has come this far by getting through a series of tiebreaks against some of the current top players in the world. We think, the tiebreak could be an advantage for Boris Gelfand. Though, a tiebreak in a match like this is almost a lottery.
• A win by either player today could decide the match. 
• Betting odds: Bookies predict 79% chances of draw in Gelfand-Anand Game 11, 11% chances of a Gelfand win with White and 10% chances of an Anand win with Black. European betting information odds improved for Gelfand to 85%. Another update - Bookie odds were revised to a 50% for draw in the tenth game at Game 10 Move 22. ...Be8

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Robot Chess - Grischuk versus Kuka Monster Chess Video

A special robo chess event was held in Moscow recently on the sidelines of the 2012 Anand Gelfand World Chess Championship - The first world robot blitz chess championship. ChessKA beat KUKA Monster! Later, KUKA Monster also played with Russian Grandmaster and former world blitz chess champion Alexander Grishcuk. Here is a video report on the super chess event.

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John Healy The Grass Arena Based Documentary on Prisoner-turned-Chess Master: Barbaric Genius

London author, chess master, ex-prisoner and former boxing champion John Healy is the subject of a new documentary 'Barbaric Genius' that opens this weekend in London. Faber & Faber published his book, 'The Grass Arena'. It went on to win the JR Ackerley Prize for autobiography. Harold Pinter described it as 'terrific'. A BBC film adaptation was praised to the hilt. Today, you can buy the book as a Penguin Classic, with an introduction by Daniel Day-Lewis. But do you know why author John Healy was blackballed by the publishing industry? Why none of his other books are readily available? Here is a trailer of the documentary.

  

He'd lived rough for 15 years on the streets of London under the Vagrancy Act, when begging carried an automatic three-year prison sentence; 'lulled, dulled [and] skulled' out of his head. He'd seen fellow winos killed with smashed bottles. He'd drank enough cheap and powerful alcohol to stun a mule. He'd hit the cliché rock bottom, and maybe even fashioned an even lower status for himself, as he journeyed through this subculture of dark desperation.

Finding himself in prison again, he met Harry The Fox, who taught him the dense art of chess. Healy was instantly hooked. He left prison a 30-year-old chess obsessive. He swapped drink for chess. Soon after he was playing masters, and winning championships. But it all became too much: as with the booze, chess consumed Healy. Eventually, he turned to writing. And naturally it was these extreme experiences and consequences of the homeless life that leaked out of him, and bled into his masterpiece, 'The Grass Arena'!

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World Chess 2012 Game 10 - I Thought I Had Endgame Hope, says Anand

The World Chess Championship 2012 is down to the last two games between Israel's Boris Gelfand and India's Viswanathan Anand. The two remaining chess games - before the tiebreak (if required) on Wednesday - would be broadcast live at the official website on Saturday and Monday from 4.15 pm India time. Sunday is a rest day. The score stands tied at 5-5 as of now.

Meanwhile, during the press conference after Game 10, it became known that the challenger had offered a draw on move 21, but the world champion decided to continue the game, believing that he still had winning chances after 14.Nbd2. Yet the game ended in a draw a few moves later. 

Commenting on the game, Viswanathan Anand noted that 5…e5 seemed very interesting. “My knight settled on e3. In the endgame, I had some hopes; I thought that it was probably not huge, but White could have some pressure because of Black’s weak pawns on the c-file. I think 19…Bc4 was a good move. The problem with 19…f5 is that I can play 20.Ng3 and, after Bb4, there is the in-between move 21.Nf5, basically much better for White. If Black makes any other waiting move, then I can double the rooks and play Bc1-Bf4, which should be in my favour. Maybe 17.Ba3 is already a slightly wrong plan, but in the event of 17.a3 with the idea of b4, I thought Black could play 17…Nd5 and Nb6 somewhere.” 
  

Boris Gelfand also commented on the game, in particular 5…e5: “It’s always pleasant to apply a novelty on move 5. It doesn’t happen every day. People talk about novelties on move 20, 25, or even frighten you with novelties on move 40… I liked the series of moves after the capture on e5, where Black attacks the knight four times in a row. Black should play precisely, but I think the position holds, which I actually demonstrated.”

Answering the question as to whether the players wanted to determine the outcome of the match in additional time (similar to football), Anand said he didn’t think about a tie-break but played each game individually, making decisions depending on the position on the board. Gelfand said that any comparisons with football were not quite relevant here: “No one is stalling for time here. In football, the players may be tired in the 120th minute, but this doesn’t mean that any team wouldn’t be glad to win in the regular time.”

Asked whether the players analysed the games after they were over, the world champion answered that, of course, he was curious about what had happened but he didn’t spend too much time on analysis because he had to get ready for the next games. “I decided to postpone the analysis until after the match, when I’ll take a close look at my games,” said the challenger.

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Anand-Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship - Replay Game 10 Moves

Game 10 Result: 1/2-1/2
Match Score Anand-Gelfand: 5-5 


All credit to Israel's Boris Gelfand the challenger - for holding down India's reigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand in the tenth game today at the 2012 World Chess Championship. If Vishy had prepared a surprise by going 1.e4 and went for a Rossolimo Sicilian (3.Bb5), then Gelfand returned the favour by playing5....e5. There are only two games left now and then a tiebreak would be played on Wednesday (if required). If the score remains tied at 6-6 by Sunday, a rapid/blitz tiebreak will be played on Wednesday. Do tune in to the official website of the tournament on Saturday for Game 11 live broadcast (India time 4.15 pm). Boris Gelfand will have his last White on Saturday.

Today Edvard Radzinsky, the famous writer, historian and TV presenter, was the honorary guest of the match. The press conference was dedicated to the “Chess and Terror” theme. Radzinsky spoke about the unique chess set titled “Reformers Against Revolutioners”, which was created in commemoration of the tragic events of the second half of the XIX century, when tsar Alexander II was murdered by members of the People’s Freedom movement. Radzinsly dwelled not only on the chess set, which was a genuine masterpiece, but also on the controversial era in Russian history, when the government of Alexander II implemented radical reforms in the country’s economic and political system.

Three simuls were played in the chess courtyard. The 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov, the Champion of Europe 2011 Vladimir Potkin and Grandmaster Vladimir Belov played against children.


Meanwhile, you can view the 2012 Anand-Gelfand World Chess Championship Game 10 moves in our Chess King applet.

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Gelfand on Mission Blaze of Glory - Live or Die! Game 10 Live Broadcast On

Super cartoon from
Mate in Moscow Blog.

Expectations from 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Game 10

- Battery Gauge: Both Anand and Gelfand are charged up and the signal is full battery particularly since we are in the final three games of the match. Fireworks could light up the sky today for sure!

- Weapon Choice: Gelfand would try to push with the psychological advantage he had gained in Game 9. Anand would like to make the best use of White today with either 1.d4 (first choice) or 1.e4 (second choice) and capitalise on the frustration he caused Gelfand in Game 9 with his solid fortress.
- Stats, Odds and Mission: Despite the polls and the stats heavily in favor of reigning World Chess Champion it's Gelfand who is on a mission to do or die in a blaze of glory! For Anand, it's just another day at the job! (He's seen them, done them all!)

Impossible to miss live broadcast of Game 10 at 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship in Moscow at official website in 15 minutes.

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Game 10 Live Today - 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship

The fantastic broadcast of Game 10 in the Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship Match from Moscow - the Mecca of Chess - would continue today at the official website. 

In the ninth game, Viswanathan Anand decided against the Slav Defence and played the Nimzo-Indian Defence with black. In response, Boris Gelfand selected the solid Rubinstein System. Following the opening, White acquired moveable pawns in the centre and an advantage of two bishops; at the same time the Black positions had no weaknesses. Soon the challenger had an opportunity to deal a blow to the centre with a move of 19.с5. As a result of this tactical operation, White won a queen for a rook, bishop and pawn. Experts believed that a draw was the most likely outcome, but White nevertheless still had a small chance for victory. Gelfand tried long and hard to undermine the black defence, although he may not have acted as accurately as he should have. White managed to open the kingside, however Anand successfully restructured his forces and with his concise play fought off all threats from his opponent after building a fortress. The opponents agreed to a draw on the forty-ninth move. You can replay all the Game 9 moves in our Chess King applet. You cannot afford to miss any of the games now in the 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Championship!

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2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Match Game 9 Moves - Gelfand Tries Hard Against Anand Fortress!

Result Gelfand-Anand Game 9: 1/2-1/2
Match Score: 4.5-4.5 (Photo: Official Website)

Israel's Boris Gelfand - the challenger to world chess champion India's Vishy Anand - continued to press with White all the way to 49 moves in Game 9 of the 2012 World Chess Championship, but had to settle for a draw eventually. The Nimzo-Indian opening was played for the first time in the 2012 World Chess Championship match today. Gelfand had a slight edge with the pair of bishops and hanging central pawns and even went for a continuation that left him with a Queen against Anand's Rook and Knight with four and five pawns each. However, Anand was precise and stayed put with his fortress. The score in Moscow is now 4.5-4.5. 
Game 10 will be played on Thursday and broadcast live on the official website as usual. Friday would be a rest day. If the score remains 6-6, a rapid/blitz tiebreak will decide the champion on Wednesday next week. You can replay the Game 9 moves in our Chess King applet.

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Moscow Chess Romance (Москва Шахматы Романтика)

Moscow - the only city in the world where you can lose your heart to chess and girls at the same time. An exciting video here (even if you don't understand the French) by GM Robert Fontaine for EuropeEchecs. Enjoy the video as Game 9 in the Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship as the endgame struggle continues.

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Congratulations to 2012 Anand, Gelfand World Chess Match Officials in Moscow (поздравления чиновников)

The Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship has brought great joy to all of us around the world. Not only has their media handling, 2012 world championship official website, and live broadcast been fantastic, but the organization of the event has been swell too. Time we knew the officials. Congratulations to the officials of the 2012 World Chess Championship.

Officials

Chief Arbiter: IA Ashot Vardapetian (Armenia)
Deputy: IA Hal Bond (Canada)
Appeals Committee: Chairman: Kurt Jungwirth (Austria), Boris Kutin (Slovenia),Jorge Vega (Guatemala)
FIDE Supervisor: Georgios Makropoulos (Greece)
FIDE Press Officer: Anastasia Karlovich (Ukraine)
Press Officer of RCF: Mark Glukhovsky (Russia)
Organising Committee: Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Chess Federation, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, ArkadyDvorkovich; Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Chess Federation, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Alexander Zhukov; General Director of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Irina Lebedeva; Chairman of the Management Board of the Russian Chess Federation, Ilya Levitov; and match sponsors, businessmen Andrey Filatov and Guennadi Timtchenko.

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Why Israel's Boris Gelfand could win Game 9 - Watch Live Today (Поэтому Борис Гельфанд мог выиграть сегодня)

All polls say India's Vishy Anand is the favourite to win the 2012 World Chess Championship against Israel's Boris Gelfand. BUT - the question is - could challenger Boris Gelfand hold his own and really make a big upset against all odds? Here are five reasons why this could be a possibility in today's Game 9 at the Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Championship expected to be an exciting one:

1-Boris Gelfand plays White in Game 9 and he has that statistical/theoretical/rhetorical advantage

2-Viswanathan Anand is Gelfand-beatable (We saw that in Game 8!)

3-Gelfand's fear of a loss is gone!!! He knows the whiff of victory. Not as impossible as everyone said.

4-Gelfand's wife Maya has sent a message of 'He can!'

5-Gelfand's victory over Anand in Game 8 was more to do with his hold over the game as compared to Anand's victory in Game 9 that was more to do with Gelfand's blunder.

B&W wishes both the players and all chess players a great Anand, Gelfand Game 9 at the 2012 World Chess Championship 2012 today available live at the official website.

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Anand, Gelfand Game 9 Live Today! Gelfand confesses he adopted risky line in Game 8

The Anand, Gelfand 2012 Game 9 Live would be available at the World Chess Championship official website within a few hours. Russian Champion Peter Svidler would be in the commentary room today. The Game 9 moves would be available here at B&W website right after the game. Meanwhile, in the press conference after Game 8, Israel's Boris Gelfand confessed that he had adopted a risky line in the game. 

Israel's Boris Gelfand and India's Viswanathan Anand at Game 8 press conference. Photo: Fide.
During the press conference, which took place immediately after the game, Boris Gelfand confessed that he simply failed to spot white's 17. Qf2. After playing 14...Qf6, he could only see 17. Qf4, after which white would have to play either 18. Bd3 or 18. Bh3. The Israeli grandmaster also considered the possibility of offering a losing exchange after a potential 15. Kc2 Nf4 16. Ne4 continuation. An interesting position appeared after 16... Re4 17. fe. “I played a risky variation and thought it would turn out okay, but I didn't anticipate White's last move. It's difficult to say where I could have played better. I think that, if this variation fails, then the whole concept is wrong. Of course, I could have just played Knight to g7 or f6 on the 14th move instead of Qf6, but then Black's position would have been worse after 15. h4.”

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Quest Software Chess Video Contest for $2500 <-- Fun Chess Video

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Gelfand Can Win 2012 World Chess Title, Says Wife Maya

Boris Gelfand, Maya, Avner,
Avital Photo:7kanal.com

World chess title challenger Boris Gelfand's wife, Maya, says she is confident about her husband's skills. "I disregard other people's opinions. I know he can win."
She said that she does not consider the competition a pleasant experience, but as "hard work." 

Maya was speaking in Jerusalem to YNet news service about Israel's Boris Gelfand who is the challenger in the Viswanthan Anand-Boris Gelfand World Chess Championship Match 2012. "Boris is focused, he's very tense, he's gathering all his strength," she told Ynet. "He has no time for excitement, it's time to work."

Israel's Boris Gelfand had won Game 7 of the world chess match, but Viswanathan Anand won back Game 8 to level the score at 4-4. You can find all the game moves and the complete schedule of the 2012 world chess championship with links in the sidebar on the right.

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