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FIDE Candidates R1G2: Kamsky strikes first
06.05.2011
– It was certainly not what the punters expected, as Kamsky drew first blood in the Candidates. Topalov carefully prepared a very ambitious novelty 9.0-0-0 in a Grünfeld line that Kamsky has played more than once, to set up an all-out affair. Instead, his game never got going and it was his king that went the way of the Dodo. The other games were played out, but drawn.
Game two report.
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FIDE Candidates: GM commentary on Aronian-Grischuk
06.05.2011
– Did you enjoy the first round of the 2011 FIDE Candidates matches? Especial the epic battle between top favourite Levon Aronian and the ever resourceful Alexander Grischuk had us enthralled until way into the evening. But how much of it did you understand? Here to help us appreciate what transpired is Super-GM Fabiano Caruana, 18, who sent us some
remarkably insightful commentary.
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A truly chaotic position ...
06.05.2011
– ... was on the board in this game from the Asian Individual Chess Championships, where Black's had last played 30...Bd4-f2 with the idea after
31.Rxf2 to continue with 31...Qxe4. How would you judge the situation after that?
White ...
A) ...wins with 32.Bf3
B) ...wins with 32.hxg4
C) ...stands badly since both continuations lose
The solution is here,
but first ponder over it with a
larger version of the diagram.
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FIDE Candidates Rd1 G1: Fighting chess but no knockouts
05.05.2011
– Despite the conspicuous absence of Magnus Carlsen, the 2011 Candidates has a number of intriguing matchups between vastly contrasting players styles, promising combative chess at the highest level. The first games showed two Najdorfs and a clear desire to win, but only Aronian ever threatened to score the full point, against Grischuk, tripping right before the winning line.
Express report.
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FIDE Candidates – pictures from the opening ceremony
05.05.2011
– Before every major chess event there is an ceremony for the players, their seconds, for dignitaries, organisers, sponsors and the chess public. It involves music and dance performances, and the drawing of lots. At the FIDE Candidates Matches in Kazan, Russia, we have photographic impressions by Vladimir Barsky, and use the opportunity to present the
seconds of the players.
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FIDE Candidates Matches 2011 start on Thursday
04.05.2011
– In 2012 there will be a World Championship match between the reigning champ Vishy Anand and – who? We will know that on May 25, when the Candidates Matches in Kazan, Russia, finish. It will be one of eight players, with Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov being the favourites. The event coverage includes excellent
live hi-res video from Kazan.
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Slyusarchuk revisited – the annotated match against Rybka
03.05.2011
– The Ukrainian chess amateur Andriy Slyusarchuk, who recently beat Rybka 4.0
blindfold, is contributing to our understanding of the human mind. Really. He is showing
us vividly just how gullible people are, how absurd a claim can be and still
be accepted by the media. Chess Today
sent us an article on this illusionist genius, with new video links and
annotated Rybka games.
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Promoting a country with chess
03.05.2011
– The game of chess, with its air of intellectual sophistication, has been used to brand almost any activity, product or business. Now it will be used to promote an entire country – Ukraine, which has two heavy-weight boxing world champions (who play chess) and the Chess Olympiad gold medalists. So don't be surprised to see chess and sports
promoting Ukraine in the world media.
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CBM Blog: The Troitzky Line
03.05.2011
– This is not a route on the Moscow Metro but a technique to solve a rare and difficult ending: two knights vs a pawn, which, you may or may not know, is winning if the defending pawn can be blockaded on or behind a certain line on the board. This was proven by the great endgame specialist A.A. Troitzky and is explained to us by GM Karsten Müller in a recent game.
Very instructive.
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FIDE May ratings: Top players inactive, Anand leads
02.05.2011
– Nothing much has changed at the top of the May rating list released by FIDE
today. This is understandable since eight high-ranking players have been preparing
for the Candidates matches which begin on Thursday. The World Champion, Vishy Anand,
who is now a proud
father, remains on top, two points ahead of the Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen.
May 1st 2011 FIDE rankings.
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Slyusarchuk's incredible chess memory feats
01.05.2011
– Remember Andriy Slyusarchuk? The chess amateur who read three thousand books about the game and then went on to beat Rybka blindfold? The Ukrainian professor performs other mental feats, like memorizing 80 chess boards in 4½ minutes and then identifying changes made to them. GM Georgy Timoshenko took part in the act and wrote a
wonderfully entertaining expose.
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ECU decision on Nielsen protest
01.05.2011
– Three weeks ago Danish GM Peter Heine Nielsen protested about the tiebreak system used by the ECU to determine which players in the 2011 European Championship would qualify for the 2011 World Cup. He demanded that the final standings be recalculated, or that the affected players be compensated. Now the ECU, while accepting that the system was flawed, have
rejected both demands.
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