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.

Read more »

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'!

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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.

Read more »

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!

Read more »