The film follows the three club founders in Berlin, London and Los Angeles as they try to develop their different visions for the sport, and make it more widely accepted by the general public. At the same time, it will get the perspective of people in the chess and the boxing world, to try to understand what the implications of this new combination are. Here's a trailer and Kickstart promotional on the film.
Chess and boxing are both known and widely respected by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Chessboxing, as you might imagine, is not. The WTF factor of such an unlikely combination has made it an easy target for satire on shows like The Colbert Report or as fluff-piece fodder at the end of the nightly news, but to the man who invented it, chessboxing represents nothing less than the pinnacle of sport – an ultimate test of body and mind.
Chessboxing's Inventor: Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh (Photo: TipBerlin)
Chessboxing: The King's Discipline will tell the story of this man's struggle to transform his sport from underground cult curiosity into a respected and recognized mainstream phenomenon. But he's not the only one with big plans for the sport.
By zeroing in on these hotbeds of brain vs. brawn action, The King's Discipline will offer you an exclusive glimpse into the worlds of the three visionaries who are vying to create their own special brand of chessboxing.
BERLIN: The birthplace of the sport and home of the World Chess Boxing Organization, which was founded by Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh in 2003. Rubingh's sights are set on the big leagues: televised Pay-Per-View chessboxing events, Vegas-style productions, top-tier athletes and ultimately Olympic glory.
LONDON: Despite having founded his chessboxing club at the start of the Great Recession, former TV executive Tim Woolgar was able to exercise his media savvy to build a loyal following for his events in central London. Solid fights mixed with P.T. Barnum style showmanship are his recipe for success and it's been keeping the crowds coming back.
LOS ANGELES: At 6'10" and 290 lbs, former war photographer Andrew McGregor is an enormous man with a heart to match. Shell-shocked after having lived some harrowing experiences while on assignment in the DR Congo, he credits chessboxing with having set him right again. His off-the-wall charity-focused events reflect his vision of chessboxing as a means to help the world while simultaneously embracing it's inherent absurdity in true LA-style.
Epic battles have taken place between these men both inside and outside the ring, and we were there to capture it all.
Does this sound like a film you would like to see? The producers need your help to get it finished, and have launched a appeal at Kickstarter, the American-based company that provides tools to raise funds for creative projects via crowd funding through its website. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, and food-related projects. People cannot invest in Kickstarter projects to make money. They can only back projects in exchange for a tangible reward or one-of-a-kind experience, like a personal note of thanks, custom T-shirts, dinner with an author, or initial production run of a new product.
The good news, as David Bitton explains in the final section of the video above, is that 95% of the film has been shot. Now the exciting process of sculpting a 90-minute masterpiece out of all that footage is ready to begin. The down side is that post-production on a documentary of this scale is absurdly expensive. Here's a breakdown of the costs:
Getting through the three-year production phase has been extremely rewarding, but it has also completely drained David's savings, which means that the project is at a standstill until the necessary funds are raised. "Thankfully we live in an age where it's possible to reach out to the people who want to see this film get made as much as I do and involve them in the process," David says. "I'm determined to finish this film one way or another, but realistically without your help it might take years to complete and would only be a mere shadow of the movie that it could and should be."
So where did chessboxing come from? Iepe Rubingh got his inspiration for chessboxing from French comic book creator, comics artist and film director Enki Bilal, whose 1992 book Froid Equateur (Cold Equator), depicted fighters competing in successive boxing and chess tournaments in order to determine the strongest, smartest person in his post-apocalyptic world.
Enki has since then created a series of chessboxing themed paintings that collectively sold at auction for over 1.5 million dollars. Chessboxers with Black Horse alone sold for over 170,000 Euros earlier this year.
Enki Bilal: Chessboxer, 2012, sold for 151,600 Euros
Because Kickstarter is an all or nothing funding platform, David has set his goal to the absolute minimum needed to complete an edit of the film: US $35,000, to be raised by Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Currently there are 79 backers who have pledged $8,149. You can log into the Kickstarter site and contribute. If this campaign is a success, everyone who contributes will get to select a reward as thanks for helping to make this documentary happen. Here are some of the prizes:
Three signed lithographs of "Chessboxers with Black Horse" by Enki Bilal
Other rewards include chessboxing themed T-shirts and baseball caps, archival quality photo prints from chessboxing events, DVDs of the film, VIP tickets to chessboxing events, and a lot more. You will find information on the prizes towards the end of the Kickstarter site. There you can also find information on what additional funding would mean – e.g. if $175,000 is raised David can include a lot of archival footage and some animated sequences in Enki Bilal's distinct style. Bilal himself would supervise the animation to ensure it meets his standards and he has already given his blessing for this.
You can contribute anything from $1, for which you get a virtual high-five by email, to $30 for a download of the movie, $50 for a DVD of it, all the way to $5,000 for a high-quality signed limited-edition of the Enki Bilal lithograph "Chessboxers with Black Horse".
2.12.2003 - Chess boxing: Kramnik vs Klitschko? Is chess too boring for you? Those crafty Dutchies have found a way to finally resolve the impasse in the chess world. Put the players in a boxing ring, let them play for four minutes and then duke 'em up for a round with the gloves. Hmmm, Vladimir Kramnik loses badly to Vitaly Klitchko in the FIDE classical world chess boxing championship final? We are not joking.
27.6.2006 - Chessboxing on ESPN, Playboy and Maxim This unusual sport, in which two competitors face each other in 11 alternating rounds, six of chess, five of boxing, is rapidly gaining popularity. You know that is the case when you see chessboxing on the front page of a leading sports web site, and as a major story in a number of men's magazines. Check out the ESPN video footage.
14.10.2007 - American fighter takes on German champ in Chessboxing David “Double D” Depto and “Anti Terror” Frank Stoldt will meet for the World Championship in Chessboxing. Six rounds of speed chess and five rounds of boxing will take place alternatingly. In a maximum of eleven rounds, the decision will come either through K.O. or check mate. The match takes place on November 3rd 2007 in Berlin, Germany. Press announcement.
3.7.2008 - Chessboxing World Championship 2008 in Berlin In October there is one between Anand and Kramnik in Bonn. But that will be peaceful compared to the World Championship that is scheduled in Berlin this weekend. There four minutes of chess are interspersed with three minutes of violent pugilistic activities. We bring you photos and videos – and we also found out what FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov thinks about this sport.
9.7.2008 - The Russians are coming – in chessboxing Having enjoyed recent success in soccer, basketball and ice hockey, Russia is now also able to boast a world champion in the little-known sport of chessboxing. Russia's Nikolai Sazhin, a 19-year-old mathematics student from the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, defeated light heavyweight defending champion Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old policeman from Germany, to lift the world chess boxing title.
12.9.2008 - Chessboxing in London’s East End The UK’s first chessboxing extravaganza kicked off on a sultry summer’s night on 15 August in the East End of London. Famous for Jack the Ripper, Pearly Kings and Queens, and 1960’s gangsters, the area is now the hub of a vibrant night scene. Rajko Vujatovic gives his inside account as chess arbiter on the night, whilst Tim Woolgar offers a unique first hand report of his debut chessboxing bout.
19.11.2008 - Chessboxing Triumph in London This hybrid sport, with four-minute sessions of chess interspersed with three minutes of boxing, is the brainchild of Dutch event artist Iepe Rubingh. The match ends in checkmate or knockout. Chessboxing is fast becoming a world-wide phenomenon, overtaking chess in the number of spectators it can attract. The latest match took place in London. Pictorial report.
28.6.2009 - Swedish ChessBoxing Sensation in London London hasn’t been this crazy about a Swede since the heady days of Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon. This was undoubtedly the best chessboxing night yet seen in the UK; there was a superlative headline bout between two of the world's leading chessboxers, controversy involving an illegal move, the flamboyant Red Kite, and an England vs Germany match. Pictorial report with annotated games.
27.2.2010 - New Chessboxing season starts in London Top of the bill is a thrilling heavyweight encounter between Sergio “The Phoenix” Leveque from Italy and Dutchman, Hubert Van Melick. Chessboxing entails alternating sessions of four minutes at the chessboard and two in the boxing ring. You can win by checkmate or knockout. In two weeks the new season begins, with the first fights in London. Press release and videos.
5.4.2010 - Chessboxing Victory for Leveque and Lizarraga Cementing its status as the epicentre of the chessboxing universe, London’s historic Boston Dome hosted three action-packed fights. Followed by a sell-out 500-strong crowd. It was the first of five UK chessboxing events planned for London in 2010, ably promoted by Tim Woolgar of the GBCBO, in partnership with the WCBO. Pictures by James Bartosik, report by Rajko Vujatovic.
2.6.2010 - London Chessboxing: 'The Rock' defeats 'The Phoenix' With spectator numbers and gate receipts that would turn any chess organiser green with envy, with centers in Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Siberia, chess boxing is becoming a real success story. Recently in London a super-fit boxer managed to knock out his opponent just when he was about to be mated. You'll never guess whom director Iepe Rubingh has been trying to recruit.
The Eighth International Tal Memorial Chess Tournament is being held from June, 13 to 24, 2013, with a rest days on June 16 and June 20. The rounds generally start at 15:00h (=3 p.m.) Moscow time, with the first round starting at 6 p.m. and the final round at 1 p.m. Accommodation is in the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, Tverskaya str. 3, while the event takes place in the in New Technologies Center Digital October, in Moscow. The tournament has ten invited players and is a round robin with time controls of one hour and 40 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds for each move starting from move one. Full information on special rules, regulation, prize money, etc. can be found in our initial report.
Round six report
Morozevich, Alexander - Karjakin, Sergey ½-½ Morozevich as usual employs a bizarre plan. The g4-g5 advance is anything but common in this variation of the Nimzo-Indian, and it was able to put some pressure on Karjakin's position. Morozevich emerged structurally better and eventually netted a pawn, but by that point Black's activity was significant and he was unable to convert his material.
A confident Hikaru has shown superb chess and leads the tournament.
Anand, Vishy - Nakamura, Hikaru 0-1 An off-beat variation in the Spanish gave Nakamura good counterchances. The middlegame was unique and complex, but it seems that the American was more on top of how exactly things should proceed. He managed to shatter the kingside structure of Anand, and though this was not come with a kingside attack, it did give Black a passed h-pawn, one of many advantages that Nakamura had in the endgame. A flawless technical endgame followed and Anand had to resign.
GM Daniel King provides video analysis of Anand vs Nakamura
[Event "8th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.19"] [Round "6"] [White "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C60"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Ramirez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "90"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 {Not unheard of but certainly not the most usual. White has two aggressive responses to fight for the advantage.} 4. O-O (4. d4 exd4 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Qxd4 {Was better for white in Geetha-Sokolov, 2010}) (4. c3 a6 5. Ba4 d6 6. d4 Bd7 7. O-O Bg7 8. h3 h6 {was the recent game Caruana-Ivanchuk in which the Italian emerged victorious.}) 4... Bg7 5. c3 a6 6. Bxc6 {quite uncommon. White usually retreats his bishop to a4. After the move in the text White obtains the center, but Black's pressure against it coupled with the pair of bishops should give him adequate counterchances.} dxc6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Ne7 9. h3 O-O 10. Nc3 h6 11. Qb3 g5 $5 {Black really wants the g4 square for his bishop, since the knight on f3 is the only bastion defending the key d4 pawn. If that falls White will have no defense against Black's bishops.} 12. Rd1 b6 13. a4 a5 14. Be3 Ng6 15. d5 c5 16. Nb5 g4 17. hxg4 Bxg4 18. Bd2 Qd7 {Although both sides have their chances, Black's position seems easier to play. He has obvious targets to attack and White has more to worry about in the position, namely that it might bet too open for the bishops and that his pawn structure on the kingside might get shattered.} 19. Rac1 c6 20. dxc6 Qxc6 21. Bc3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Rad8 (22... Nf4 23. Rd6 Qc8 $1 24. Bd2 Ne2+ 25. Kg2 Nxc1 26. Bxc1 Rd8 {would have won an exchange, but White's position isn't bad anymore and he has plenty of activity, so Hikaru chose to not cash in straight away.}) 23. Rxd8 Rxd8 24. Rd1 Rd7 25. Rxd7 Qxd7 26. Qd5 Qxd5 $1 {The correct decision. Despite giving White a passed pawn and foregoing possible attacks on the kingside, this is the right choice. Blacks' passed h-pawn will be difficult for White to deal with, as one of his pieces will have to permanently deal with it.} 27. exd5 Bxc3 28. bxc3 Ne5 ( 28... Nf4 29. c4 Kf8 30. Nc3 Nd3 {nets a pawn but Hikaru's way is also good.}) 29. Nd6 Kf8 30. Kh2 $2 (30. f4 {was the only way to try to obtain something. Now Black has the uncomfortable choice between going back to d7 passively or giving up b6.} Nd3 31. Nc8 Nxf4 32. c4 $1 Ke8 33. Nxb6 Kd8 34. d6 {and nothing is quite clear yet, even though Black is definitely still better.}) 30... Ke7 31. Nc8+ Kd7 32. Nxb6+ Kc7 33. f4 Nf3+ 34. Kg2 Nd2 $1 {Black's maneouver has locked in the knight on b6. White must part with his d-pawn to save the knight's life.} 35. Na8+ Kb7 36. d6 Kc6 37. Nc7 Kxd6 38. Nb5+ Kd5 39. Kg3 Kc4 { Material is equal, but the difference in king activity and the h-pawn's threat of running down the board if White abandons it gives Black the decisive edge.} 40. Nd6+ $6 {making things easier for Black.} (40. f3 Kb3 41. Nd6 Kxa4 42. Nxf7 Nc4 $1 {is winning but would have forced Hikaru to find a couple of good moves. }) 40... Kxc3 41. Nxf7 c4 42. f5 Kd4 43. Nd6 Ke5 44. Nb5 Kxf5 45. f3 h5 {the technique is now basic. exchange the h pawn for the f pawn, run the king over to help the c-pawn, win the knight, queen the a-pawn.} 0-1
Anand has had difficulties finding his groove and has lost two games with White.
Caruana, Fabiano - Kramnik Vladimir ½-½ The Berlin defense has brought Kramnik plenty of success. He is of course the one that made it popular by effectively employing it against Kasparov in their 2000 match. Usually the game is a long boring endgame in which either Black loses because his pawn structure is worse and he didn't solve his development problems, he wins because his pair of bishops is tearing the board apart, or more often than not it is a draw when White could simply not make any progress. In today's game Kramnik sacrificed a rook and a piece and the game ended in a wild perpetual. Very interesting resources were available for both sides, but it seems unclear if Caruana missed a real chance to improve.
Another person that is surprisingly in a tie for last place: Vladimir Kramnik.
Gelfand, Boris - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ Once more Gelfand was unable to obtain anything concrete from the opening. The position was closed and Magnus was very solid. This however did not give Black any reason to play for a win, which he did after declining a three-fold repetition, and slowly but surely his position became worse and worse. Gelfand missed his best chance when on move 40 he could have broken his opponent's pawn structure with 40.f5! After missing this detail Carlsen regained his senses and was able to hold the draw.
Carlsen came close to pushing too hard today.
Andreikin, Dmitry - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½ Andreikin obtained the slightly better deal out of the massive simplifications that happened near the beginning of the game. However, Mamedyarov accurately and actively held the balance by consistently applying counterplay, never allowing his opponent to really utilize his structural advantages. The game was eventually drawn but not for lack of trying.
Mamedyarov keeps his +1 score and a good performance in the tournament.
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Schedule
All pictures by Etery Kublashvili
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
Press release
From the 26th to the 30th of June 2013, the City Council of Geneva is proud to present the 1st Geneva Chess Masters, organized by the Geneva Chess Federation (Fédération Genevoise d’Echecs). Three World champions and a legendary woman grandmaster in Geneva!
The participants: Polgar, Nakamura, Kramnik, Kosteniuk, Mamedyarov, Pelletier, Edouard, Bacrot
Two four player groups challenging each other to qualify for the semi-finals and eventually the Grand Final. The concept is like the tennis masters tournaments – uncompromising games between the best players in the world. In the end, only one remains!
Eight elite players will appear on the stage of Théâtre Pitoëff:
Each match starts with two rapid games (25 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move). If the score is still equal, the match proceeds with two blitz games (4 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move). Finally, if necessary, a "Sudden Death" blitz game is played (Black has one minute less but can afford a draw to qualify, whereas White must win).
Lots will be drawn for the pairings during the Opening Ceremony on Tuesday 25 June at 6:00pm. The first round starts on Wednesday 26 June at 3:30 pm. The qualifying phase takes place from the 26th to the 28th of June. Semi-finals are to be played on Saturday 29 June and the Final on Sunday 30 June. All games will be broadcasted live on the Internet and spectators will have the possibility to follow the games with French and English commentary.
The first Geneva Chess Masters will take placein the Pitoeff Theater, Rue Jean-Violette / Rue de Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland. The A and B Opens will take place beneath in the Salle Communale of Plainpalais. Here is the full schedule.
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In a recent article Alex Karaivanov reported on the tournament exploits of Borislav Ivanov, a Bulgarian FM who in the past months has been crushing players hundreds of points stronger than himself. Bulgarian GMs, who suspect computer cheating, are now boycotting tournaments in which he appears, or chosing not to play their games against him. Extensive analysis by Valeri Lilov made the cheating suspicion seem quite plausible, and in a second article we presented the opinions of international experts and one of the GM victims (plus initial reader feeback).
Karaivanov also also sought the opinion of a very talented Italian International Master, Axel Rombaldoni, who also happened to lose a game against Ivanov at the 1st Cub “Old Capital” International Open. In round seven, Rombaldoni met Ivanov on board one and lost badly both this game – and with it the chance to earn his third GM norm, which would have allowed him to become a full-blown grandmaster (in the meantime Rombaldoni won the 5th Festival Capo d'Orso and gained his title).
In a Skype interview conducted before the Capo d'Orso tournament, Axel Romdaldoni (above) spoke to Alex Karaivanov about his encounter with Borislav Ivanov, as well as his view on the issue of increasing chess cheating that is being observed in international tournaments nowadays.
What happened at the 1st Open “Old Capital” 2013?
Well, first of all, I came to play this tournament because I needed to get one last GM norm to become a grandmaster. I saw the starting list featuring so many GM’s and IM’s and thought this was the perfect tournament for me to attain the norm! But then, two days before leaving for Bulgaria, I happened to check out the starting list again and it was surprising to find out that only two GM’s were actually going to play! Then, I realized that Borislav Ivanov had additionally signed up for this tournament.
In the tournament, I started quite well but in round seven I had to play against this guy. I already knew his story and everybody was talking about him. Even though many people were telling me to not show up for my game with Borislav Ivanov, because after three games won by forfeit he wouldn't have been eligible for the prize fund, I decided to play and face him. I was curious and wanted to see the face of the guy who wanted to destroy my norm chances and the tournament itself!
What was suspicious about Borislav Ivanov’s behavior during the game?
From the start of our game until the very end, it was obvious to me that Ivanov was not behaving as a chess player usually does. In my opinion he was never thinking – ever! He was looking at the board, the clock, his score sheet, but he never calculated moves and variations. He was always in the same position whenever I looked at him and he never looked back at me or anyone.
In our game, the first surprise for me came at move eight. One can find this same position in over a hundred games of many strong and famous players with white, like Seirawan and Polgar, and none of them played the move Ivanov chose in our game.
The Livebook function in ChessBase 12 and in Fritz 13 shows moves that have been played in this position. The line starting with 8.Bf4 was played just once, in May by Ivanov in the Old Capital tournament on Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The Livebook is automatically updated after every round of every international tournament.
There were like nine popular responses for this position, but 8.Bf4! was not among them. Still, it was the first choice that most top computer engines would make. Here are some comments on the game:
[Event "First International Open Tournament"] [Site "Veliko Tarnovo,Bulgaria"] [Date "2013.05.05"] [Round "7"] [White "Ivanov, Borislav"] [Black "Rombaldoni, Axel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A92"] [WhiteElo "2303"] [BlackElo "2486"] [Annotator "Rombaldoni,A"] [PlyCount "97"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. b3 a5 8. Bf4 $146 {There were like nine popular responses for this position, but 8.Bf4! was not among them. Still, it was the first choice that most top computer engines would make. And I must say that after 7.b3 a move like Bf4 looks weird...} Ne4 9. Nfd2 d5 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Nc3 Bf6 12. Be5 Nd7 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Qd2 e5 15. d5 c5 16. d6 {Ivanov played this right away and quickly refused my draw offer after I replied with} Ra6 {He said nothing but just made a face, as if suggesting that it was completely winning for him and my draw offer was unreasonable.} 17. Rad1 Kh8 18. a4 Rd8 19. Nb5 Nf8 20. e3 Bd7 21. Nc7 Ra7 22. f3 exf3 23. Bxf3 Ne6 24. Nd5 Qh6 25. Qc3 e4 26. Bg2 Ng5 27. Ne7 Rf8 28. Qe5 Raa8 29. h4 {One of the most surprising quick moves by Ivanov. He thought for about one or two minutes before making this crazy move!} ({White has many options here, like} 29. Nxf5) ({or} 29. Qxc5 {and even more lines to calculate. }) 29... Nf3+ ({Apart from the text move Black has} 29... Nf7) ({and} 29... Ne6 {which Borislav never considered.}) 30. Bxf3 exf3 31. Qxc5 {This move, which was played in a few seconds time, made no sense! A human would take on f3 after a little thought, not on c5!} f4 32. exf4 Qe6 33. Rxf3 Qe2 34. Rfd3 Rf6 35. Qd5 Raf8 36. Qxb7 Bg4 37. Qd5 Re6 38. d7 Rd8 39. Qa8 Qxd1+ 40. Rxd1 Re1+ 41. Rxe1 Rxa8 42. Nc6 Bxd7 43. Ne5 Bf5 44. c5 Rb8 45. Nc6 Rc8 46. Nxa5 g5 47. Re5 Bc2 48. hxg5 Rd8 49. c6 1-0
The games of the Old Capital tournament can be found here.
Earlier you mentioned that Ivanov had stayed in the same position throughout the game. What posture did he assume when playing you? Did he stand up to walk around during this long four-hour game?
He never stood up, never during my game and likely never during any of his games at the tournament. He was stubbornly sitting on his chair, even while he was winning by forfeit against players who chose to skip their games against him, leaving him to wait on an empty board for quite some time! For the entire game with me, Borislav assumed one and the same posture, supporting his chin with his hands and staring straight down at the board without looking at anyone.
The typical posture of Ivanov during entire games (here against GM Kiril Georgiev)
Do you believe Borislav Ivanov was cheating during your game with him?
Yes, absolutely!
How would you comment on the current lack of specific rules and regulations for effectively preventing computer cheating at major international open tournaments?
I believe that FIDE, working closely with chess federations and tournament organizers, has to quickly find a good solution to this issue. These cheaters (and there are many, unfortunately) are simply destroying chess! I love this game very much and can't believe that I will have to deal with the possibility that some of my opponents could be cheating while playing at international events. Technology is improving day by day, and we must expect that anti-cheating measures mandated by FIDE will be updated adequately, as well.
Should indirect evidence, like the very high correlation between top engine choices and a player’s moves over many tournament games, be factored in a new set of regulations for fighting computer cheating in chess?
I believe that it is possible for a very strong player to match top engine moves at a high rate in one, two, or even three separate games. But it’s impossible in every single game. One can’t find every counter-intuitive move that only engines come up with due to their profound calculation ability! I think this is probably the best solution to fight modern chess cheating which frequently involves the use of computer engines during tournament games.
Recently Alex Rombaldoni won the 5th Festival Capo d'Orso in Sardinia and completed his final GM norm
Are you planning to submit an official complaint with FIDE and/or the Bulgarian Chess Federation regarding your game with Borislav Ivanov at the “Old Capital” Open?
Yes.
What do you think of the future of chess in its present form in light of the recent spate of chess cheating scandals that shook the chess world?
I think that we have to show our love for chess right now, and more vigorously than we have ever done before, because this is the only way to save our game and secure its future in its present form!
The full list of local and international tournaments Ivanov has entered in the past couple of years along with some interesting statistics describing his improvement in playing strength and tournament performance are provided in the chart below (click to enlarge):
Alex Karaivanov is the manager of FM Valeri Lilov and has managed his coaching career for the past six years. He is the CEO and co-founder of Tiger Lilov’s Chess School and the president of Shanghai Chess Club: Pudong Branch. He is also involved in producing Valeri Lilov's ChessBase DVDs.
08.1.2013 - Cheating scandal in Croatia – feedback and analysis Recently we reported that the incredibly brilliant play by a 25-year-old untitled Bulgarian player at the Zadar Open in Croatia had raised suspicion that he might have been using illicit electronic assistance during his games. A number of readers criticised us – for linking to the mainstream Croatian media reports?! One of them, an expert in the field, actually analysed all the games in question.
17.1.2013 - Cheating scandal – Borislav Ivanov speaks out Recently a 25-year-old untitled Bulgarian player scored 6.0/9 points in a strong GM tournament, with a 2697 performance. His opponents complained, he was searched, and no electronic equipment was found. Still, the case put chess on the front pages of the mainstream media, and led to intense discussions on the Internet. Now Ivanov has given the Russian news portal WhyChess an exclusive interview.
23.3.2013 - A Game of Chicken: Ivanov rides again In the last weeks of 2012 he wowed the chess world with a 2700 performance. Two months later the new Bulgarian star FM Borislav Ivanov finished 88th in the Plovdiv, this time with a performance of 1970. Then came another enviable achievement, a clear win at the Villava rapid (again with a 2700 performance). What is going on? Alex Karaivanov speculates, with new video analysis by Valeri Lilov.
3.6.2013 - The show goes on: Ivanov in Kustendil Borislav Ivanov is an FM who in the past months has been crushing GM hundreds of points stronger than himself. Bulgarian GMs, who suspect computer cheating, are now boycotting tournaments in which he appears, or chosing not to play their games against him. Ivanov has called them antisocial buttheads in newspaper interviews. Alex Karaivanov reports, with new video analysis by Valeri Lilov.
5.6.2013 - Experts weigh in on Ivanov's performance Two days ago we reported on the crushing victories of a Bulgarian FM against top grandmasters and the suspicion that he was secretly using computer assistance to achieve his success. Extensive analysis of the games by Valeri Lilov made this seem quite plausible. In part two of our series we present the opinions of international experts and one of the GM victims, plus initial reader feeback.
The second event of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix cycle 2013-2014 is taking place from June 16th to 28th in Dilijan, Armenia. Twelve players, with the average elo of 2505, are competing in a round robin tournament. The event is organized by the Armenian Chess Federation & FIDE. The Grand Prix cycle will produce the participants for the Women’s World Championship 2015.
You can select games from the dropdown menu above the board. All contain light notes.
IM Norayr Kalantaryan's live commentary on the second round can be found here.
A win for former women's world champion GM Antoaneta Stefanova ...
... and a second loss (with one win) for GM Tatiana Kosintseva of Russia
Tatiana and Antoaneta in the press conference after the game
A second consecutive win for bottom seed Batchimeg Tuvshintugs ...
... who beat Lithuanian GM Viktorija Cmilyte after an inaccuracy in a Grünfeld game
Round four report
Gelfand, Boris - Morozevich, Alexander 1-0 Morozevich's delayed Benoni allowed Gelfand to obtain a set-up that is known to be advantageous for White. To evaporate this advantage and cause significant structural damage the Russian sacrificed an exchange, but it is unlikely that it was fully compensated in this variation. Gelfand resourcefully gave back the material to obtain a strong passed pawn in the center and then finished off the game with a precisely calculated sequence that forced it through to queening.
A cheerful Carlsen steamrolled over Anand in today's game.
Carlsen, Magnus - Anand, Vishy 1-0 Carlsen obtained a pleasant advantage out of the opening - truthfully more than he deserved considering the variation choice. Anand (above) had some aggressive choices to try to liberate his position early on, but instead he decided to hold with a more passive set up. Anand's problems intensified when he allowed Carlsen to achieve e4 without much of a fight, but it became especially terrible when Anand missed a very clever sequence that netted White a decisive advantage. Probably miscalculating the consequences of 22.d5 was what cost the World Champion the game. In the final position Black wasn't even down a single pawn, but his position was completely dominated. Not a good omen for the match in November.
GM Daniel King provides video analysis of Carlsen vs Anand
[Event "8th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.18"] [Round "5"] [White "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Black "Anand, Viswanathan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E46"] [WhiteElo "2864"] [BlackElo "2786"] [Annotator "Ramirez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 { This is not the main line but has been tried recently. Black trades off pieces quickly so as to alleviate the pressure that will come to d5.} (7... exd5 8. g3 {has been played countless times.}) 8. Bd2 Nd7 9. g3 b6 $5 {A new idea. This seems like a good way of obtaining a solid position.} (9... N5f6 10. Bg2 e5 11. O-O exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne5 {eventually led to an interesting draw in Aronian-Gelfand 2005.}) 10. Nxd5 (10. Bg2 Bb7 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Bxd5 (12. e4 Bb7 {followed by c5 also promises little for White.}) 12... exd5 13. O-O Nf6 $11) 10... exd5 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. Bb4 $5 {A provocative move. Black certainly does not want to trade on b4 as White's pawns will restrict him from any potential break. But it would have been interesting to lash out with c5.} Nf6 ( 12... c5 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Bc3 Nf6 15. O-O Rb8 $5 {With the ide of d4, liquidating the central hanging pawns, at least deserves some attention, though I wouldn't be surprised that with a precise continuation White will obtain an edge.}) 13. O-O Re8 14. Rc1 c6 15. Bxe7 Rxe7 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Nf4 Bc8 $6 {A little too passive. Black is relying on the position not opening up any time soon so that he can regroup his pieces, but White will give him no such time.} 18. Qa4 Rc7 19. f3 {A simple and effective way to take advantage of Black's awkward piece placement. Usually Black would be trying to pressure d4, thus preventing the break e4, but now this is impossible because the rook on a8 is stuck.} Be6 20. e4 dxe4 $2 {Probably missing White's 22nd move.} (20... Qd7 21. Nxe6 Qxe6 22. e5 Ne8 {is very uncomfortable but Black isn't lost yet.}) 21. fxe4 Qd7 22. d5 $1 {A killer. Magnus calculated accurately and Black's position crumbles.} cxd5 23. Qxd7 Rxd7 24. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Bh3 {The point. White will emerge at least up a pawn from this sequence.} Kh8 (25... Re8 26. exd5 { the pawn is completely taboo.} Rd6 27. Rxe6 $16) (25... Rd6 $2 26. e5 $18) 26. e5 $1 {Positionally accurate. Bxe6 was greedier but this is much harder to play for Black.} Ng8 27. Bxe6 Rdd8 (27... Re7 28. Bxd5 Rd8 29. Bb3 {is awful but again Black doesn't have to resign.}) 28. Rc7 d4 29. Bd7 {Black's position is absolutely crushed. White can, if he wants, push this pawn to e6, scoop the d pawn with his spare rook, and then even bring his king forward before giving Black the slightest breathing room.} 1-0
Nakamura, Hikaru - Andreikin, Dmitry ½-½ It is very commendable to see Andreikin's fine preparation for this tournament. He has had no opening problems, and he has given no one a chance to obtain a position that is better or even very playable against him. On the other hand, his ambition seems to be completely lacking and draw after draw it would appear as if he is happy with obtaining a 50% score and calling it a day. Nakamura was definitely uncomfortable out of the opening, and in the final position it is hard to say that Andreikin really had any advantage, but he definitely held the more pleasant side of equality and could have played on even if it was just a few moves.
The best scoring Russian has not lost a single game, but he hasn't won one either.
Kramnik, Vladimir - Karjakin, Sergey ½-½ The reverse Dragon gives Black good chances of equalizing. In today's' game Karjakin took advantage of all of those opportunities and after the trade of queens White's position was only marginally better. After more trades the draw was obvious.
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar - Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ When White breaks the center with e4 in the super solid Schlecter set-ups, his d4 pawn becomes a big liability. Despite having more space and the pair of bishops, this pawn usually holds White from doing anything active. In this game, Mamedyarov was able to push the pawn down to d7, but it was isolated from the rest of White's pieces, its only lifeline being the bishop on h3. After some piece trades the players agreed to a draw in a position that would end up being an opposite colored bishop endgame.
At 50% Caruana is still having a good tournament.
Round two under way, with Antoaneta Stefanova vs Anna Ushenina in the foreground
Harika's t-shirt reads "Push through the pain, because giving up hurts more"
The India GM lost her game against Nana Dzagnidze, right in the press conference
Bela Khotenashvili drew Viktorija Cmilyte in her second black game
Bela seen throug a glas of water
Batchimeg Tuvshintugs with a black win after a loss in round one
Olga Girya was outplayed by her WGM colleague Batchimeg in this round
Sixth women's world chess champion (1962–1978), and first female grandmaster Nona Gaprindashvili is a guest of honour and a keen spectator
GM Tatiana Kosentseva defended well but blundered a pawn in time trouble...
... against Anna Muzychuk, left in the press conference
SAINT LOUIS (June 17, 2013) -- For the first time, world number one, Magnus Carlsen will play a high-profile tournament in the United States. He will be joined by the world number two Levon Aronian, and the top two US players Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky, to fight for the Sinquefield Cup, a four-player, double round robin scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) September 9-15.
Magnus Carlsen has been been the man to beat for the last few years
Levon Aronian has been the world number two with his eyes set on that top spot
CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich said this event marks an important milestone for U.S. chess. “We are honored to bring the world’s best to Saint Louis this September,” Rich said. “Hosting an event of this magnitude is yet another sign that the U.S. is becoming a major player in the world chess scene.”
Nakamura is coming off one of the most successful three-game runs of his career having recently defeated GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Sergey Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana at the Tal Memorial, which has vaulted him back into fifth place in the world rankings.
Hikaru Nakamura has been on a fantastic run and is now 5th in the world
Kamsky also is coming off one of his most successful tournament performances in recent years with a second-place finish at the FIDE Grand Prix that recently concluded in Thessaloniki, Greece, and a fourth U.S. Championship title, placing him in the world’s top 10 for the first time since September 2011.
Gata Kamsky is once more in the top ten, a class act
With an average FIDE rating over 2800, and all four players in the top ten, it makes it the strongest tournament in U.S. history.
Average: 2800.5 = XXIII (ratings from the June 2013 FIDE list).
The event will be played with official FIDE tournament time controls at 40 moves in 90 minutes with a 30 second increment as of move one, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. It is rumored a 2700+ player will be brought to provide live commentary. The opening ceremony will take place on September 8, and round one will begin at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, September 9.
The Sinquefield Cup, which will feature a prize fund of $170,000, is named after the founders of the CCSCSL, Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. The Sinquefields were each honored by the U.S. Chess Federation with a Gold Koltanowski award in 2012, with Rex also earning the distinction in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The award is given to the person or persons who have done the most to promote chess in the U.S. each year.
For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.
Legendary grandmaster Evgeny Bareev was a guest of honor today.
What does one do when the monsters play on stage? Well, play the Dutch in blitz!
It's all fun and games until your king is stuck in the center...
Andreikin, Dmitry - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ Andreikin's reverse Sicilian set-up was unorthodox to say the least. However thanks to an early trick threatening checkmate he obtained a slight but nagging edge by virtue of some pressure against his opponent's queenside. Andreikin's follow-up was certainly not the most ambitious as he allowed Carlsen to trade some pieces and even forced him to lock up the kingside which sealed a completely drawn game.
Andreikin tried something unusual, but couldn't break Carlsen's position.
Carlsen was given no chances to complicate the game and push for a win.
Anand, Vishy - Gelfand, Boris ½-½ Just like in the World Championship match, Gelfand relies on his Sveshnikov Sicilian to defend against 1. e4. Anand was able to obtain a small edge with a Rossolimmo set-up, but Black's position remained very solid and after a couple of inexact moves by the World Champion, Gelfand was able simplify into an easily defensible rook endgame and the draw was pact soon afterwards.
Gelfand continues to be extremely solid with the black pieces, and had very few problems holding today against Anand.
I think we have done this before... Gelfand and Anand have played 19 times within the last year in rapid or slower time controls.
Caruana, Fabiano - Nakamura, Hikaru 0-1 The American's handling of the Najdorf was unique and powerful. In the h5 variation of the English attack, Nakamura decided to take the invading knight on d5 with his own knight as opposed to his e6 bishop, an unusual choice. He continued with what seemed like a strange check on h4 which forced Caruana to slightly weaken his kingside. The Italian's queenside response did not yield as much as he wanted, and Nakamura's kingside pressure slowly became uncomfortable for White. Eventually, White's king was impossible to defend and he had to shed material, which at the end still did not safe his king.
Nakamura came well prepared to the game, had original and fresh ideas and takes the lead in the event.
GM Daniel King provides video analysis of Caruana vs Nakamura
[Event "8th Tal Memorial"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2013.06.17"] [Round "4"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2774"] [BlackElo "2784"] [Annotator "Ramirez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "RUS"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 h5 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. Nd5 Nxd5 (10... Bxd5 11. exd5 g6 12. Be2 Qc7 $5 13. c4 a5 $5 {Had already cost a full point for Caruana earlier this year, against Dominguez in the Thessaloniki Grand Prix, but the Italian did have a good position out of the opening in that game.}) 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Be2 Rc8 (12... Be7 13. O-O h4 14. Na5 Qc7 15. c4 {was a complex game that Leko eventually won in Leko-Gelfand 2009}) 13. Rc1 Qh4+ $5 {Hikaru's idea is quite interesting. g3 is going to prove an attackable weakness which somehow justifies h5 in the set-up, a move that usually is just a weakening on the kingside once White has castled on that flank.} 14. g3 (14. Bf2 Qf6 15. O-O {has it's own drawbacks as the bishop would like to have control over g5.}) 14... Qf6 15. O-O Be7 16. Na5{This is a common move, but usually it forces Black's queen to defend the b7 pawn. With the rook on c7 it feels that Black's position is comfortable enough. } 16...Rc7 17. Bd3 O-O 18. c4 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Re8 20. b4 Bf8 21. Rce1 g6 22. Qd2 Qf5 23. a4 Nf6 24. Bb6 (24. c5 h4 (24... dxc5 25. d6 Rd7 26. bxc5 b6 27. cxb6 Bxd6 {is unacceptable for Black.}) 25. gxh4 $5 {would have been very messy. It's unclear why Caruana kept refraining from pushing his pawn to c5.}) 24... Rcc8 25. f4 e4 26. Bd4 Rc7 27. h3 $6 {White starts to weaken his kingside unnecessarily.} Bg7 28. Qg2 b5 $1 {Powerful and opportunistic. White has refrained from advancing on the queenside for so long, and has dedicated so many resources to preventing the e4 pawn from advancing and defending the kingside, that now his structure is collapsing with a simple pawn break.} 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxf6 Bxf6 31. g4 (31. cxb5 Qxd5 {is hopeless for White as everything that could go wrong in the position has gone wrong. Black has the better structure, the better minor piece, the better rook activity, the safer king, the better endgames and White can pretty much resign.}) 31... hxg4 32. hxg4 Bd4+ 33. Kh2 Qf6 34. Nc6 Bb6 35. g5 Qf5 {Interestingly enough all of Hikaru's moves are easy to find and natural. This is due that when you obtain a strong position, the flow of the game comes easily to the player with the positional advantage.} 36. c5 (36. Qh3 bxc4 37. Qxf5 gxf5 38. Rc1 Kg7 39. Rxc4 f6 {is a terrible position for White, especially because of the exposed position of his king, but it was the least bad option.}) 36... dxc5 37. Ne5 cxb4 38. d6 Rc3 39. Rxe4 Kg7 {White's getting checkmated. A convincing showing by Nakamura.} 0-1
Karjakin, Sergey - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½ Mamedyarov sacrificed two pawns almost immediately out of the opening, and despite his activity any claims for full compensation were highly debatable. Karjakin returned one of the pawns to consolidate his position, but unfortunately for him he was unable to play precise moves after that. He retained the pawn into a difficult to win rook endgame which Mamedyarov was able to hold.
Karjakin had good winning chances today, but alas could not convert.
Mamedyarov survived and quietly moves into a tie for 2nd-3rd.
Morozevich, Alexander - Kramnik, Vladimir ½-½ Kramnik's handling of the Scotch allowed him to obtain a perfectly acceptable position straight out of the opening. Morozevich used plenty of his creativity to try to muddy the position. He eventually obtained a superior pawn structure but Black's passed e-pawn was able to create enough counterplay and forced White to give a perpetual.
Not the tea kettle!?
Dilijan is a spa town in the Tavush Province and one of the most important resorts of Armenia, situated in Dilijan National Park. The forested and reclusive city is home to numerous Armenian artists, composers, and filmmakers and features some traditional Armenian architecture.
The Aghstev river with its tributaries gives peculiar charm to the general town landscape
The Sharambeyan street in the centre, has been preserved and maintained as an "old town," complete with craftsman's workshops, a gallery and a museum. The city's population is steadily declining from the 23,700 reported in 1989 to an estimated 15,600 in 2009, but the Armenian government is planning to turn Dilijan into a regional financial capital, beginning with the move of much of the Central Bank's operations to Dilijan in 2013. [Source: Wikipedia]
The Women's Grand Prix in Dilijan has nine grandmasters, one International Master and two women grandmasters, making it one of the strongest women events of all time. Dilijan also sees the participation of current Women's World Champion Anna Ushenina as well as former World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova. The average rating for the tournament is 2505.
The grand opening of the Women's Grand Prix was attended by the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who in his speech expressed the hope that in the near future Dilijan will become a chess town "like our favorite resort town of Jermuk".
Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Armenian GM and organiser Smbat Lputian
Tigran Sargsyan reminded the guests that "Chess has almost become a lifestyle in our country thanks to world champion Tigran Petrosian. This Grand Prix is just held under this aegis because exactly 50 years ago, Tigran Petrosian was crowned as the 9th world champion, fostering nationwide enthusiasm over common ideals."
The twelve participants in the FIDE Grand Prix at the opening ceremony – let's see if we can get them right: Viktorija Cmilyte, Harika Dronavalli, Nana Dzagnidze, Anna Ushenina, Olga Girya, Elina Danielian, Tatiana Kosintseva, Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, Koneru, Humpy, Bela Khotenashvili, Antoaneta Stefanova, Anna Muzychuk.
Spectacular presentation at the opening of the Women's Grand Prix
The drawing of lots was also conducted as a costumed presentation
Antoaneta Stefanova gets the start numer nine
The ceremony ends with celebratory fireworks on the stage
The first round of the Women Grand Prix in Dilijan saw two decisive games:
Third seed GM Nana Dzagnidze, above right, outplayed bottom seed WGM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs
Nana Dzagnidze and Batchimeg Tuvshintugs in the press conference after the game
... while Tatiana Kosintseva of Russia (above right) defeated Bela Khotenashvili...
... after the Georgian IM (left) overlooked a clear win and later blundered a pawn
Indian GMs Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy discuss their game in which Harika was pressing and missed clear wins
The playing hall of the Women's Grand Prix in Dilijan
Organisers and dignitaries in front of a Christian painting in the Grand Prix venue
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest national church and one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in AD 301, and the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church claims to trace its origins to the missions of Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus in the 1st century.
20.6.2013 - With his Power play show GM Daniel King tries to explain difficult themes in a comprehensive an easy way. Improvement guaranteed! Starting at 8 pm! Entry fee: 50 Ducats, Premium free! Become Premium Member!
20.6.2013 - Once a month Karsten Müller hosts the endgame magic show. The reknown endgame expert shows brilliant endgames from recent tournament games. Today Mihail Marin is his guest. Starting at 4pm. Become Premium Member!
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