Corus Chess Tournament 2009 - Live Games

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STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 12 - TOURNAMENT UP FOR GRABS HEADING INTO ROUND 13

Corus A

1. M. Carlsen, L. Aronian, S. Karjakin, L. Dominguez, T. Radjabov, S. Movsesian 7
7. G. Kamsky 6
8. V. Ivanchuk, L. van Wely, J. Smeets 5½
11. D. Stellwagen, M. Adams, Y. Wang 5
14. A. Morozevich 4½

Corus B

1. N. Short, R. Kasimdzhanov 8
3. A. Volokitin, F. Caruana 7½
5. A. Motylev 7
6. F. Vallejo Pons 6½
7. D. Navara, Z. Efimenko 6
9. Y. Hou, D. Reinderman 5½
11. E. l'Ami 5
12. K. Sasikiran, H. Mecking 4
14. J. Werle 3½

Corus C

1. W. So 9
2. A. Giri 8
3. T. Hillarp Persson 7½
4. D. Howell 7
5. A. Gupta 6½
6. F. Holzke 6
7. F. Nijboer, D. Harika, M. Bosboom, R. Pruijssers 5½
11. M. Leon Hoyos 5
12. E. Iturrizaga, A. Bitalzadeh 4½
14. O. Romanishin 4

Video on the Short vs. Kasimdzhanov Endgame from Round 7

Chess Endgame Brief: Black to Move - Promote in 6

Here's a straightforward endgame win from a recent game of mine. It's black to move - can you visualize all 6 moves to promotion?

One of Gary Kasparov's Simultaneous Chess Events

I came across this video on YouTube and found it interesting, not only because of the actual event but some of the things Kasparov talks about, such as the sacrifice he made in his youth to achieve what he did over the board in the chess world.

Hetul Shah vs Nurlan Ibrayev Video - 9 Year Old Beats Chess Grandmaster and Makes History

Hetul Shah made chess history on January 11th, 2009 at the 7th Parsvnath International Open chess tournament in round one. At only 9 years old, Hetul Shah has entered the chess history books by being the youngest Indian chess player to defeat a chess grandmaster.

While the grandmaster made a mistake in the game, Hetul Shah showed an an amazing ability to capitalize on that mistake, and maintain and build a winning position right up until the Grandmaster resigned. When one factors in his age, it's definitely an extraordinary accomplishment!



Congratulations to Hetul Shah for his historic chess win!

Game PGN
[Event "7th Parsvnath International Open Chess "]
[Site "Modern School, Barakhamba Roa"]
[Date "2009.01.11"]
[Round "1.36"]
[White "Ibrayev, Nurlan"]
[Black "Hetul, Shah"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2407"]
[BlackElo "1817"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2009.01.11"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bd7 14. Nf1 Rfc8 15.
Ne3 Nc6 16. a3 Bf8 17. b3 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Qc3 19. Ne2 Qxa1 20. Qd2 d5 21. b4 d4
22. Nd1 Rxc2 23. Qxc2 Rc8 24. Qd2 Nxe4 25. Qd3 Nd6 26. Bb2 Qa2 27. f4 Qc4 28.
Qb1 d3 29. Ne3 Qe4 30. Nc3 Qxf4 31. Ncd5 Qg3 32. Nf1 Qg6 33. Bxe5 Nc4 34. Nf4
Qb6+ 35. Kh1 Nxe5 36. Rxe5 Bd6 37. Re4 Bc6 38. Qc1 Qb7 39. Re1 Bxg2+ 40. Nxg2
Rxc1 41. Rxc1 Bf4 42. Rc3 d2 43. Rd3 h6 44. Kg1 Qb6+ 0-1

HHCF Doing it's Thing!

Forums Fixed

You should now be able to register and select your password to begin using the forums. Sorry for the delay - there was a problem with the forum email system. All previous accounts have been deleted so you can register again under your desired username and get the password you want.

Forum Problems

I got confirmation that there are some problems with the forums today. I have seen several legitimate registrations but got an email from a visitor that something was wrong that is stopping people from posting. If you have experienced similar problems let me know what happens. The fix will most likely be simple once the problem is determined.

Corus Chess Tournament 2009

Corus is shaping up to be another awesome event this year, and is fast approaching. Here are the details:

LocationThe Corus Chess Tournament 2009 will be held from 16 January - 1 February 2009 in Wijk aan Zee. The tournament venue is the De Moriaan Community Centre (Dorpsduinen 4, 1949 EG Wijk aan Zee) and the nearby bar de Zon.

Corus, group A

GM Alexander Morozevich RUS 2787
GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2786
GM Vassily Ivanchuk UKR 2786
GM Levon Aronian ARM 2757
GM Teymour Radjabov AZE 2751
GM Wang Yue CHN 2736
GM Michael Adams ENG 2734
GM Sergei Movsesian SVK 2732
GM Sergei Karjakin UKR 2730
GM Gata Kamsky USA 2729
GM Leinier Dominguez CUB 2719
GM Loek van Wely NED 2618
GM Daniel Stellwagen NED 2605
GM Jan Smeets NED 2604

Average rating: 2720
Category: 19

Corus, group B

GM Krishnan Sasikiran IND 2694
GM Zahar Efimenko UKR 2680
GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov UZB 2672
GM Alexander Motylev RUS 2672
GM Francisco Vallejo Pons ESP 2664
GM Andrei Volokitin UKR 2659
GM Nigel Short ENG 2642
GM Fabiano Caruana ITA 2640
GM David Navara CZE 2633
GM Erwin l'Ami NED 2610
GM Jan Werle NED 2582
WGM Hou Yifan CHN 2578
GM Henrique Mecking BRA 2567
GM Dimitri Reinderman NED 2543

Average rating : 2631
Category : 16

Participants group C

GM Wesley So PHI 2610
GM David Howell ENG 2593
GM Abhijeet Gupta IND 2580
GM Tiger Hillarp Persson SWE 2543
GM Friso Nijboer NED 2540
GM Eduardo Iturrizaga VEN 2538
IM Manuel Leon Hoyos MEX 2535
GM Oleg Romanishin UKR 2532
GM Frank Holzke GER 2524
FM Anish Giri RUS 2466
WGM Dronavalli Harika IND 2462
IM Roeland Pruijssers NED 2458
IM Manuel Bosboom NED 2416
FM Ali Bitalzadeh NED 2370

Average rating : 2512
Category : 11

Visit Corus Chess 2009 Official Site for more details.

Portable Smartphone Chess Comparisons?

I have been debating between a Blackberry Curve, Iphone, and some other Smartphones lately. I would like to get something that connects to the FICS server (and maybe someday the ICC server) with relative ease of use regardless of my location. I have heard mixed stories on the overall operation on all the options, but very few chess reviews. If you have one, like one, and would recommend one, share your thoughts in the comments section. If you have tried a few, definitely make some comparisons in regards to pro's and con's of what you have tried.

Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time - An Amazing Author - A Breathtaking Story

I have just finished book 6 of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time saga. To me this is somewhat of a personal accomplishment because after entering College and University, I stopped reading novels all together. It wasn't always like that of course. In my youth I was a fairly avid reader, but when the days of University life came calling (translate to lots of required reading in constant conflict with a healthy night life) the whole notion of reading novels for entertainment became quite foreign to me. This continued for many years after University as well.

Fast forward to several months ago; I was talking to a friend and told him that I used to enjoy reading novels quite a bit, but hadn't bothered for a number of years. I said I wouldn't mind getting going again, but the books I used to be interested in didn't cut it any longer. He said I should check out Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. What he didn't tell me right away, however, was that Robert Jordan not only created an amazing 11 books, but had passed away before completing the 12th and final installment of the series.

Even after finding this out, knowing relatively nothing about the author or his story, I decided to pick up the first book, knowing full well that I would never get to read the "end" - even after 11 books. And so began my journey into the Wheel of Time.

After book 3, I began to have a sense of stupidity. Don't get me wrong, the story was amazing, and very engaging. Robert Jordan is the type of author that makes you experience important events and intense moments of the book in such a way that has you chomping at the bit to read more just to find out how it all goes down, even if it means staying up well past bed time knowing that the alarm clock will be ringing shortly for work. Considering that his books are quite large, some in excess of 400k words, this is a testament to the man's story-telling ability. My sense of stupidity came from knowing that I was getting thoroughly engaged in a story that quite literally had no end!

Was this a delayed reaction 3 novels long? Perhaps. I have been told I can be stubborn before. However, I think a better explanation would be that I was becoming quite engaged in the variety of characters and plot lines, so much so that to not have it come to some kind of conclusion would be tragic. There was a delay of around a month in between reading book 3 and 4.

At this point I wanted to continue, but at the same time I didn't. I had heard that another author was planning to complete the series, but I didn't know how this was all going to take place, and the entire notion of it sounded silly to me to begin with. But, caught between a rock and a hard place, I decided to go and do some research and find out what was really in the works. Enter the breathtaking part of this article's title.

Robert Jordan was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis in 2006. He was given approximately 4 years to live. Sadly, he passed away on September 16, 2007. However, his work did not stop on his final book, even though he knew his time was coming to an end. While he could not work as he had before, he was able to write the last 50,000 words (the actual end of the book) and he left audio and a great deal of notes on important plot lines and character development. He also vocally shared the story with his family shortly before passing away. He very much wanted his life's work to be concluded in some fashion.

In December 2007, Robert Jordan's widow Harriet McDougal approached Brandon Sanderson
after reading one of his series to complete her Husband's work. Tor Books, the publisher of the Wheel of Time, announced that Sanderson had agreed to the project. All three parties have since worked very closely together.

From what I was able to glean from Mr. Sanderson's Blog a substantial amount of tender love and care is being taken with the project. Armed with Jordan's notes, various writings, and audio along with frequent visits with Jordan's widow, progress on the final installment of the Wheel of Time was taking shape in an amazing way under extraordinary circumstances.

On Sanderson's site it lists "A Memory of Light" to be at 105% completion, meaning that he has surpassed his original goal of 400,000 words. Current estimates on his site have the final length coming in at around 600k-750k.

Personally I find the entire story of Robert Jordan's life (both the amazing achievements, tragic end, and awe-inspiring manner in which his work will be completed) breathtaking. There is a sense of wonder, sadness, amazement, and a variety of other feelings all wrapped up in one. I don't claim to have any understanding of who Robert Jordan was as a person, but I know something unique and special when I come across it, and his story not only meets that criteria but goes so much more beyond that!

Needless to say, after finding these things out I picked up the series where I left off with a renewed sense of excitement. I could let myself become deeply engaged again with the plot and characters knowing full well that an ending was going to happen, a conclusion that Robert Jordan himself would have been very proud to see.



Links of Interest

Robert Jordan
Brandon Sanderson
The Wheel of Time Series
Robert Jordan's Official Blog

Fantastic Blitz Video with GM Post-Game Analysis ( Carlsen / Nakamura )

Click HERE for a great GM live blitz video with post-game commentary from both Carlsen and Nakamura.

Chess Forums on www.jrobichess.com

Added some forums to the main page of www.jrobichess.com. My primary goal with them is to have a place to discuss chess in a simple more research/thought based format. Here are the forum categories and thoughts behind them:

Chess Chat – General discussion on various chess items or other things you find interesting in the moment.

Chess Openings – Just to keep things a bit organized, openings can be discussed in detail here. I am picturing people's perspectives, thoughts, pet moves, etc.

Chess Annotations – This is the big one for me. A place to share annotated PGN's for discussion and feedback and training purposes. The problem with annotated PGN's is that some software's create their own "code" in the PGN file, making it useless to standard viewers. I recommend ChessPad (from the resources section of the main page) for a very basic standard PGN creator that places comments and symbols in a universal way without the fluff. This will allow anyone checking your annotations to plug it into whatever viewer they want to browse through your work.

Chess Training Journals - A forum to create a training journal to post updates on what you're working on, how you're doing it, your experiences with what you're doing, etc. These would be posted to share and get feedback/support from other people passionate about the game.

Chess Tactics and Puzzles – With the Online Chess Diagram Generator from the main page of www.jrobichess.com (under the resources section) making quality chess images is a snap, and you can include things like titles, arrows, circles, etc. It creates a link for you which you can either embed in the forums for discussion or download to your computer. The forums will let you place any online chess picture into them, so if you find one that you didn't make but want to share the position, you can do it that way too.

Vasily Smyslov Games added to www.jrobichess.com

Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov is a Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958.

He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 1985). Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship (1949, 1955), and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team Championships, Smyslov won ten gold medals. (Source)

Chess Tactics #5

Ruy Lopez Brief

Had a very interesting blitz that had a variation of the Ruy Lopez I don't see very often. Black played the knight out to D4 on move 3:





















The best move in that position for white is to take the knight, followed by either a castle or BC4. It creates overall very interesting positions, and I am wondering how often you have seen it if you played the Ruy opening. Here is a Kasparov game with the opening for consideration:

Danish Gambit: New Annotated Chess Opening with Computer Practice on www.jrobichess.com

I have added an annotated opening for the Danish Gambit with computer practice and Grandmaster examples on the main site at http://www.jrobichess.com.

The Danish Gambit was one of my first opening videos on YouTube. I plan on creating interactive web pages for all previous opening videos as time goes forward.

The gambit line is usually attributed to the Danish player Severin From. He essayed it in an 1867 Paris tournament. The Danish Gambit used to be an extremely popular opening amongst some of the greatest grandmasters of all time. While rarely seen at the top levels of chess today, it's surprise value can be amazing when used in blitz play or even club play.