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 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.
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All pictures by Etery Kublashvili
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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.
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!?
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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.
Belief in lucky and unlucky omens has always been a universal part of our psyche. Like it or not, many of us believe in signs of good fortune and imminent misfortune, from the greatest leaders of the world to… chess players (I reckon you won’t try to deny it). Since good things seldom comes in pairs but bad fortune never walk alone, it is kind of natural that many of us are hopelessly obsessive wit luck. Whether you are the tormented type or a very down-to-earth fellow, I suspect you are all ‘forcing’ luck into your friends’ lives by using the common good luck wishes.
Ferry trip from Civitavecchia to Olbia – not simple to reach Sardinia from Romania
At the harbour a gigantic replica of the famous V-J Day Times Square kiss
So many countries, so many customs... I’ve always considered the theatrical jargon “break a leg” to be one of the most original good luck wishes, until I recently came across with the Italian version: “In bocca al lupo”, literally meaning – into the wolf’s snout! Not sure about the expression’s etymology though; it might be an incentive to go ahead with the most dangerous endeavors. In any case, if you don’t want the wish to rebound upon you, you should definitely answer “Crepi il lupo”, ad litteram – may the wolf crack!
There are no wolves or any other dodgy animals in Sardinia, but there is a special guardian looking over the entire Porto Mannu’s bay: a bear! Don’t worry, it won’t chase you, since the wild creature is actually ... a huge rock, which resembles the aforementioned species. That explains the name given by the locals to this region: “Capo d’Orso” (the bear’s cape), the place which hosted a beautiful chess tournament – Porto Mannu 2013.
The beautiful residence hotel in Porto Mannu
Curious by nature, the first thing that had to be ticked on my to do list was exploring this gigantic bear shaped stone, literally reaching in the bear’s snout (in bocca all ‘Orso). It proved to be good enough for a successful and enjoyable tournament, although the millenary rock would hardly crack to avoid any sudden bad luck?
The bear of Porto Mannu up close ...
... and a view from under its belly
Our intrepid author Alina L'Ami climbs a bear in Sardinia
No matter how satisfied I was for my own enrichment, being it cultural, emotional or chess wise, my attention has been inevitably dragged to the fierce struggle for first place. After a hazy start of the tournament, the fight gradually became a shoulder to shoulder combat between the Italian talent Axel Rombaldoni and his former trainer, Mihail Marin.
Italian talent IM Axel Rombaldoni
Romanian GM Mihail Marin, playing (and beating) Arianne Caoili
The Romanian grandmaster won the direct encounter, but Axel fought back with a series of brilliant tactical wins and scored one point after another, without any draws at all until the last round (which happened to be against yours truly!). Eventually, the youth impetus prevailed over experience with only one Bucholz point in the final tiebreak. But for Axel, more important than having one more won tournament in his portfolio, was securing the GM title, with his third and final norm.
French GM Fabien Libiszeewski, who was beaten by ...
... Alex Rombaldoni in a beautiful tactical encounter
The winners with their trophies: Mihail Marin, Axel Rombaldoni and Fabien Libiszewski
The great performance of the Italian (who reminds many of Tom Cruise, the Mission Impossible guy) was not necessarily connected with a Spartan life style. On the contrary, Axel found the perfect balance between leisure and hard work, which is easier said than done, especially in a place like Porto Mannu! That’s because in this chess player’s paradise, one will surely get trapped in the escapeless deadlock, between Scylla and Charybdis… on the horns of such a dilemma, what would you choose: chess without any distractions or the irresistible beach life? How could one focus when the nature is calling for you?!
Another interesting participant, Arianne Caoili (above), is an extraordinary and very intelligent young lady who is working as a consultant for government clients. She is an expert in economics and travels more than Levon himself! She has the option of getting a PhD in Economics at Oxford, but rather likes her current job and all the travel involved.
The beauty of the venue had a redoubtable competitor: besides the challenging playing times there were free lectures pursued with fervor by many of the participants, to the injury of the sun or the sea… There was no other option when the lecturer’s name is (no kidding!) Levon Aronian, who was also officially working as a second to his girlfriend...
Arianna's second Levon Aronian (!) delivers a morning lecture to a packed audience
A view of the beautiful tournament hall
Top seed GM Jonathan Rowson from Scotland
GM Raj Tischbierek, editor-in-chief of the German magazine 'Schach'
Bughouse competitions could be enjoyed in the evening, there was a round by round betting game on the tournament results (called… Toto Mannu), games were followed by friendly analysis over a beer (or two!) with the opponents – a real diversity of activities and the perfect ingredients for a typical delicious Italian recipe. For the professionals and results seekers, the accelerated swiss pairing system until round seven was a true motivating factor to fight till you drop for the beloved norms.
Evening fun: bughouse chess with Levon, Arianne, Jonathan and organizer, Yuri Garrett
Jonathan Rowson asking for silence during the bughouse actions
As for myself, besides the chess factor, I was delighted to deepen my knowledge of the lovely Italian culture. There is hardly anything that can entice your senses more than the old Italy, with its dizzying flavors of basil, garlic and tomatoes, with its parmesan pasta and desserts that lure you into the dolce far niente… even if you’re not a gourmand yet, you would surely become one here!
The tournament winner (sans five-day beard) with organiseer Yuri Garrett and sponsor Stefano Lupini, who was also an active correspondence chess player
Jubilation: Alex and Juri celebrate the win and Alex's GM title
But what impressed me most was the small team of organization. Just a hand of people succeeded in creating from the rather heterogeneous chess community a true chess family! Just one small example to support my conclusion: it took me half an hour of kisses and goodbyes before I managed to jump into my taxi.
Wonderful hosts and generous sponsors of the tournament: Alessandra Ariotto and Stefano Lupini
The wolves or the Sardinian bear may not always keep their mouths open for the fulfillment of the typical Italian wish but I feel that Alessandra’s and Stefano's arms will permanently be wide open to welcome you!
Round three report
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - Vladimir Kramnik ½-½ Kramnik came extremely well prepared in this line of the Nimzo Indian. Mamedyarov simply fell into a long and forcing line that the Russian had prepared and decided to bail out with a perpetual as soon as he had a chance. Mamedyarov was never in any real danger, but he was certainly never better either.
Mamedyarov wasn't prepared against Kramnik's Nimzo Indian nor his tea kettle.
Kramnik used almost no time at all in achieving his draw in today's game.
Gelfand, Boris - Andreikin, Dmitry ½-½ Gelfand's opening with white still remains unconvincing. Andreiking enjoyed full equality shortly after the opening, as Gelfand's pair of bishops was not worth much due to the closed structure of the position and Black's dominance of the open d-file. The players repeated moves in a very level situation.
Andreikin hasn't had any exciting games, but he sits at a very respectable 50% score.
The American proved too difficult for Karjakin today, who has had several recent successes.
Nakamura, Hikaru - Karjakin, Sergey 1-0 Nakamura dominated from beginning to end in this Gruenfeld. He employed the somewhat unusual 5.Bd2 and Karjakin was clearly caught off guard. The Russian's reaction was some what questionable, and although he obtained a solid blockade on White's passed d-pawn, through a series of clever bishop maneuvers Hikaru dominated the e8 square and with it the only open file in the game. Nakamura missed a couple of finishing blows in the endgame, but his technique was still good enough and he wrapped up the game without Karjakin ever having a real chance.
"Hmmm was my game really that good...?"
"Yes, yes it was!" - a cheerful Hikaru Nakamura at the postmortem.
GM Daniel King provides video analysis of Nakamura vs Karjakin
[Event "8th Tal Mem"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2013.06.15"] [Round "3"] [White "Nakamura, Hi"] [Black "Karjakin, Sergey"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D85"] [WhiteElo "2784"] [BlackElo "2782"] [PlyCount "103"] [EventDate "2013.06.13"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 {An interesting move that is designed to avoid further weakening of the a1-h8 diagonal. It has been seen at the top level a few times before.} Bg7 6. e4 Nxc3 (6... Nb6 7. Be3 O-O 8. h3 e5 {was Anand-Svidler in 2009. The World Champion took that game in convincing fashion.}) 7. Bxc3 c5 8. d5 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Nf3 (10. Qd2 e6 11. d6 e5 $6 12. h4 $5 {led to victory again for Anand in Anand-Hammer from the Norway super-star tournament earlier this year.}) 10... e6 11. Be2 exd5 12. exd5 Bg4 13. O-O Nd7 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Ne5 16. Be2 {White can't really complain about the result of the opening. He has a passed pawn on the d-file, but the most important thing is that he has not been forced to play c4 just yet, so his bishop will have the ability to be active as opposed to being stuck behind the pawn chain.} Qd6 17. Rb1 b6 18. Re1 Rfd8 19. Ba6 $1 {A key move. The d5 pawn is poisoned which allowed Hikaru to follow up with c4.} Rab8 (19... Qxd5 20. Qxd5 Rxd5 21. Bb7 Rad8 22. Bxd5 Rxd5 23. Rbd1 $18 {is a completely winning endgame.}) 20. c4 Nd7 21. Bb5 Nf6 {With only a few moves of normal chess, Hikaru has secured a huge advantage. Black has no counterplay, no hope of breaking the queenside, no control over the only open file. Karjakin's position is not good and Hikaru starts piling the pressure.} 22. Qe2 Rb7 23. Rb3 Nh5 24. Re3 {Why did Hikaru triple on the e-file? because he could, that's why.} Ng7 25. g4 {Black has successfully fiianchettoed the knight on g7, but this achieved nothing.} Kf8 26. a4 f5 27. Re5 (27. Qb2 $5 Kg8 28. gxf5 $1 { would have won a pawn. A nice geometrical sequence.}) 27... fxg4 28. hxg4 Rf7 29. Qe3 Qf6 30. Re2 Qf4 31. Qxf4 (31. Re4 $1 Qxe3 32. R2xe3 {also traded queens but Black would have been less active.}) 31... Rxf4 32. R5e4 Rxe4 33. Rxe4 h5 34. f3 Kf7 35. Kg2 Kf6 {Notice how Black would absolutely love to have a knight on d6, and how Hikaru is careful to never allow this.} (35... Ne8 36. Rxe8 Rxe8 37. Bxe8+ Kxe8 38. gxh5 gxh5 39. f4 $18 {is an easily winning pawn endgame.}) 36. Re1 g5 37. Kg3 Rh8 38. Bc6 Kf7 39. d6 h4+ $6 {makes White's life easier, but Black's position was becoming increasingly hard to hold.} 40. Kh2 Kf6 41. d7 Ne6 42. Bd5 (42. f4 $1 gxf4 43. g5+ $1 Kf5 44. Bd5 Nc7 45. g6 Kxg6 46. Bg8 $1 Rxg8 47. Rg1+ {wins instantly but this is obviously a ridiculous line for a human to find.}) 42... Nc7 43. Be4 Ne6 (43... Ke7 44. Bc6+ {wins instantly so Black might as well repeat moves.}) 44. Bd5 Nc7 45. f4 gxf4 46. g5+ Kg6 (46... Kxg5 47. Bg8 {is the point, which is much easier to see than on the previous variation.}) 47. Re5 Rd8 48. Be4+ Kf7 49. Bf5 Rh8 50. Kg2 a5 51. Kf2 f3 52. Re1 {Black has no good moves, and his pawns will fall one by one, and he can't really stop the pawns. A clean win by Nakamura who has bounced back from his first round loss with two wins.} 1-0
Anand, Vishy - Morozevich, Alexander 1-0 A very slow and positional Spanish opening was level for a long time. Anand started slowly outplaying Morozevich starting on around move 30, and soon afterwards Morozevich lost his patience with the move 37...f5?! Afterwards Anand played a very precise game, took advantage of his opponent's weaknesses as well as his exposed king and won without too many issues.
Maybe Carlsen should consider bigger bottles of orange juice, as he ran out of energy in the endgame and made an inexplicable blunder.
Carlsen, Magnus - Caruana, Fabiano 0-1 Carlsen's less than stellar opening left him with an equal position which he tried to complicate by sacrificing a pawn in order to leave Black's rook on b5 in a dubious post. Caruana had calculated deeper and saw that he could retain the pawn without any problems. The queen and rook endgame that resulted gave Black the upper hand because of the extra pawn, but was extremely difficult to win due to the blockade on the d-pawn. The game transposed into a known rook endgame which is theoretically drawn. White's demise began with thet almost incomprehensible decision to play 49.Rf8? instead of the more natural 49.Rb8, which would have maintained the pressure on the b-pawn. The endgame with the passed h-pawn was a win for Black since White's king was cut off on the 5th rank, which makes it impossible for him to reach any of the known draw setups. Caruana showed that he knows this endgame perfectly and found some important and precise moves; namely 59...Re4! after which it was all over.
Correction: Magnus Carlsen has informed us that he did not, as we claimed, sacrifice the pawn. He simply blundered it. We apologize for the incorrect interpretation. We tend to forget that this player can blunder anything at all – ed.
The new number three in the live ratings, displacing Vladimir Kramnik: Fabiano Caruana.
The CEZ Chess Trophy 2013 pitted the world's number two female player, 19-year-old Chinese GM Hou Yifan, against the best Czech GM David Navara. Hou Yifan was the Women's World Chess Champion in years 2010-2012 and is the current challenger for the title.
[Event "Czech Chess Trophy 2013"] [Site "Prague"] [Date "2013.06.14"] [Round "4"] [White "Navara, David"] [Black "Hou, Yifan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B84"] [WhiteElo "2707"] [BlackElo "2595"] [Annotator "Ramirez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "102"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "CZE"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 {Yifan is one of the grandmasters who is not scared of the Keres attack. Many players nowadays choose the Najdorf moveorder to avoid it, but then they also have to deal with some important lines, mainly those involving 6.Bg5.} 6. Be3 (6. g4 h6 7. h4 e5 8. Nf5 Nc6 {was Harikrishna-Hou Yifan from earlier this year, where the Chinese talent took the game in a fascinating struggle.}) 6... a6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. a4 b6 $5 {The subtleties in the Scheveningen are endless. Playing b6 before developing the knight to d7 allows White some interesting possibilities, while disallowing some others. I will not delve into what exactly this entails but I'm sure both players knew what they were doing.} 9. f4 Bb7 10. Bf3 Nbd7 11. Qe2 e5 12. O-O-O {An incredible move. White simply leaves his knight en prise! This must be Navara's improvement over... his own game with Iordachescu! Except in that game Navara was black.} (12. Nf5 g6 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Nh6 Bc5 { Iordachescu-Navara, 2012.}) 12... Rc8 {Yifan is not going to be bullied into playing a passive position up a piece.} (12... exd4 13. Bxd4 Rc8 14. e5 Bxf3 15. Qxf3 {is for maniacs and silicon brains. Although to be fair it might also be just bad for Black.}) 13. Rhe1 h5 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Nd5 Qc4 16. b3 Qxe2 17. Nxf6+ Nxf6 18. Nxe2 {with the exchange of queens, Black has solved many of her opening problems. The only issue now is that b6 is a bit loose, but besides that she has a pretty good Sicilian endgame.} Ba3+ 19. Kb1 Nxe4 20. Bxb6 Bb4 21. Rg1 {a sad move, but rather forced.} g5 $5 {Black loses no time in expanding on the kingside, which will force some concessions from White. Immediately he will have to relinquish the bishop pair.} 22. Kb2 g4 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. c3 Rh6 $1 25. a5 Rd6 $1 {These precise rook maneouvers allowed her to basically save a tempo.} 26. Rxd6 Bxd6 27. c4 Ke7 28. Kc3 Ke6 29. b4 f5 { Black's pair of bishops gives her the upper hand in the ensuing pawn race. White still has many tricks up his sleeve, but the position is not pleasant.} 30. c5 Be7 (30... f4 $5 31. Nxf4+ $1 exf4 32. Kd4 Bxg2 $1 {is a crazy line that is still quite unclear if Black is fully winning.}) 31. Re1 h4 32. g3 hxg3 33. hxg3 {Black's pawns have been halted for now.} Kf6 $6 {not so hot, the White's king should not have been allowed to c4, where it can support b5.} ( 33... Bg5 $1 34. Kc4 $4 (34. b5 $5 axb5 {would have at least given Black a material advantage, though its unclear if she will win the endgame.}) 34... Bd2 $19) 34. Kc4 Bb7 35. b5 axb5+ 36. Kxb5 Bc6+ 37. Kc4 Rh8 $2 {This move and the idea behind it are too aggressive. Yifan can't afford to move the rook to the second rank as she will have no targets and the a-pawn is going forward.} 38. a6 (38. Nc3) 38... Rh2 39. a7 (39. Bc7 $5 {both players missed this very strong move, which probably would have won the game for White. The idea is to vacate the b-file for a subsequen rook lift, supporting the a-pawn.} Ba8 40. a7 {and Black's out of moves.} Rh7 41. c6 $1 Bxc6 42. Bxe5+ $1 $18) 39... Kf7 40. Nc1 Rc2+ {With the rook's activity, Black can hold the pawns without any issue. } 41. Kb4 Bf6 42. Nb3 e4 43. Na5 Ba8 44. c6 Bc3+ 45. Kb3 Bxe1 46. Kxc2 Ke7 ( 46... Bxg3 47. c7 {is not good for Black.}) 47. Nc4 Bxc6 48. Ne3 Ke6 49. Bc7 Bb4 50. Bb8 Bc5 51. Kd2 Bxe3+ {Black's up a pawn, but she can't advance her passers and the a-pawn is too powerful, so she decided to force the draw immediately. A very interesting game.} 1/2-1/2
Spectators watching the game in the playing hall
Commentary hall where the very exciting fourth game is being analysed by GM Robert Cvek
In two blitz tiebreak games the players once again scored 1-1, so that an armageddon game was needed to decide the winner. This was won by Hou Yifan, who was thus declared the overall winner of the CEZ Chess Trophy 2013.
All photos in this and previous reports by Anežka Kružíková
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, Bersenevskaya Embankment 6, 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 two report
Andreikin, Dmitry - Anand, Vishy ½-½ Andreikin's aggressive style put him behind three pawns at some stage, only to recover them with interest and emerge up one! However this was insufficient for a win, as Anand's rook was active in the endgame and White's pawns were a conglomerate of targets.
If one isn't familiar with Gelfand's facial expressions, it might be easy to assume that he is in deep trouble. The truth is that he had the game under control the entire time.
Caruana, Fabiano - Gelfand, Boris 0-1 Caruana got outplayed in this sharp variation of the Najdorf. Gelfand had comfortably equalized and this was especially clear when he was able to break with d5, but that did not mean that Caruana should allow the pawn to push forward onto d4. After the pawn took key squares from his opponent, Black's advantage was without question. A blunder on move 32 only allowed Gelfand to collect the point quicker. Caruana does not enter the 2800 club just yet.
[Event "8th Tal Mem"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2013.06.14"] [Round "2"] [White "Caruana, F."] [Black "Gelfand, B."] [Result "*"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2774"] [BlackElo "2755"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2013.06.13"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 16. fxe6 axb3 {Normally I would have made a lot of explanations by now, but the truth is that this is all theory. White has been trying out the move 17. cxb3 lately, though 17.exf7+ remains more popular.} 17. cxb3 fxe6 18. Bh3 Rxa2 (18... Nc7 19. Kb1 Qc8 20. Rhf1 Qa6 21. Nc1 {was slightly better for White, though Black eventually won the game in Kryovoruchko-Wojtaszek 2012}) 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Ng3 Nc7 21. Bc4 Qa8 {White's queenside is not as exposed as it seems, but he still has to be careful. He is banking on his pair of bishops, more space and control of d5 will be more valuable than Black's activity. As more pieces get traded off the more likely this is to happen.} 22. Rhf1 Rxf1 23. Rxf1 Ra1+ 24. Kc2 Rxf1 25. Bxf1 d5 26. h4 $2 {Allowing the d-pawn to push forward is a serious mistake.} (26. exd5 Nxd5 27. Bf2 {is a position in which I prefer White. Despite Black having the upper hand in the structure, White's bishops cannot be underestimated and his king is out of danger.}) 26... d4 27. Bg1 Ne6 {Now that White's darksquared bishop has no activity, it is hard to come up with a constructive plan. If the blockade on d3 evaporates, White is lost.} 28. Qe2 Ndc5 29. Qc4 Nf4 30. Qf7 Qf8 31. Qc4 (31. Qxf8+ Bxf8 32. Nf5 d3+ 33. Kd1 Nxe4 {seems hopeless but actually White has the resource} 34. Bh2 $1 { and Black can't hold on to all his pawns. This is rather hard to see in advance though.}) 31... g6 32. Bf2 $2 {A tactical blunder. White's position required precise calculation, but Caruana did not have the time to do it all appropiately.} (32. Qxb4 {a brave move, but it works.} Nxe4 $2 (32... d3+ 33. Kb1 Nh5 $1 $15) (32... Ncd3 33. Qb5 $1 Ne1+ 34. Kd1 Nf3 35. Be2 $1 $15) 33. Qe1 $1 {And White solves his problems.}) 32... Ne2 $1 {A beautiful move. The knight cannot be captured in any way.} 33. Nh1 (33. Bxe2 Qxf2 {and both the knight on g3 and d3 are threats.}) (33. Nxe2 Qxf2 {and now it is f1 and d3.}) ( 33. Qxe2 d3+ {loses immediately.}) (33. Be1 d3+ 34. Kb1 Nxg3 {wins the bishop on f1.}) 33... d3+ 34. Kd1 Qf3 {White is losing a piece regardless, and his king is getting mated in every variation.} 35. Bxc5 Qxf1+ 36. Kd2 Nf4 37. Ng3 Qg2+ 38. Kc1 Qxg3 39. Kb1 Ne2 40. Qf7 Qe1+ 41. Ka2 Nc3+ (41... Nc3+ 42. bxc3 Qd2+ 43. Kb1 Qc2+ 44. Ka1 Qxc3+ 45. Ka2 Qc2+ 46. Ka1 Qxc5 {puts an end to White's resistance. A wonderful game by Gelfand.}) *
GM Daniel King provides video analysis of Caruana vs Gelfand
Karjakin's response to Carlsen's opening was not enough for the Russian to attempt a win.
Karjakin, Sergey - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½ Karjakin got absolutely nothing from the opening and Carlsen simply obtained a nice and smooth draw. Karjakin for some reason did not want to go into the Berlin and his sideline held no poison.
The people who suffer most at chess tournaments are never the players: Carlsen's father Henrik and his second Peter Heine Nielsen
Morozevich, Alexander - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½ Morozevich played a very strong opening against Mamedyarov's Caro-Kann. Black was forced into an unfavorable queen exchange which gave the Russian a strong initiative on the queenside and better development. However, slowly but surely Morozevich let go of the thread of the game, and the Mamedyarov started to obtain serious counterplay.
"Oh man, he actually showed up...?"
"...yeah, he showed up..." Morozevich and Mamedyarov shake hands before the round starts.
Kramnik, Vladimir - Nakamura, Hikaru 0-1 Kramnik convincingly obtained an advantage against the King's Indian by employing the Fianchetto variation. He was up a pawn without any significant compensation, but a series of questionable moves allowed the American fully back in the game, and after the strong retort 27...Nc4! the position became very muddy. Hikaru not only regained his lost pawn but he also obtained a second one. His passed pawns on the queenside became difficult to stop. Kramnik attempted some kind of kingside counterplay but it was clearly insufficient.
Nakamura stayed his cool in the face of problems and emerged victorious.
Hours earlier he had issued a "final warning" to protesters to leave the park. The meeting has been described as a "last-ditch" attempt to defuse the situation. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling AK Party (AKP) in the capital, Ankara, earlier on Thursday, Mr Erdogan said: "Our patience is at an end. I am making my warning for the last time. I say to the mothers and fathers, please take your children in hand and bring them out," he added, going on to say that the park belonged not "to occupying forces but to the people." Full BBC report story by Quentin Sommerville here.
Protesters in Gezi Park [Photo Wikipedia]
Telegraph: Taksim Square protests: not a Turkish spring, but the new Young Turks By now you will have seen pictures of police battles, burning tyres, riot shields and tear-gas – stricken protesters. These images have become so familiar to us over the past few years that we are almost immune to them. But what you can't get from the pictures is the extraordinary transformation that took place in Taksim Square – the centre of Istanbul – in the space of a mere 10 days. It became a living, breathing community of peace, love and hope. "Woodstock" people whispered as they strolled amongst the stalls of free food and books, and the forests of posters and red flags. Too beautiful too last. We all knew that. Full report here.
Here's a message we received from Anil Sengün of Bogaziçi University:
The protests in Turkey started after the government's plans to reconstruct the last green space in the Taksim Square, 'Gezi Park', possibly to be replaced with a shopping mall, became known. The protests started with a few hundred environmentalists staging a sit-in demonstration, followed by the gathering of tens of thousands of people to the square. People in Turkey, faced with police violence and disrespectful comments from their government, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, turned it into a country-wide movement to demand civil rights and liberties. Protests are still going on and Gezi Park has already become a symbol of democratic demands. People with different political ideologies, religious convictions, ethnicities, gender groups, sports fans, they are all singing songs, building libraries, sharing food and demanding their citizenship rights peacefully in Gezi Park. On last Sunday, maybe the most crowded day of the protests in Taksim Square, we found our own way of supporting the cause. With members of the Bosphorus University Chess Club and our friends from other universities, we decided to organize a tournament in Gezi Park. This time moves were made for Gezi Park, moves were made against authoritarianism. We were not many there, but people sat with us, people played with us. There was no winner there, everyone received a "democratic master" norm.
The protests in Turkey started after the government's plans to reconstruct the last green space in the Taksim Square, 'Gezi Park', possibly to be replaced with a shopping mall, became known. The protests started with a few hundred environmentalists staging a sit-in demonstration, followed by the gathering of tens of thousands of people to the square. People in Turkey, faced with police violence and disrespectful comments from their government, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, turned it into a country-wide movement to demand civil rights and liberties. Protests are still going on and Gezi Park has already become a symbol of democratic demands. People with different political ideologies, religious convictions, ethnicities, gender groups, sports fans, they are all singing songs, building libraries, sharing food and demanding their citizenship rights peacefully in Gezi Park.
On last Sunday, maybe the most crowded day of the protests in Taksim Square, we found our own way of supporting the cause. With members of the Bosphorus University Chess Club and our friends from other universities, we decided to organize a tournament in Gezi Park. This time moves were made for Gezi Park, moves were made against authoritarianism. We were not many there, but people sat with us, people played with us. There was no winner there, everyone received a "democratic master" norm.
Anil sent us the following pictures from this remarkable tournament in Taksim Square.
Last night Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with leaders of the protest movement for the first time. This morning we receive the following message from Anil:
Even though we hoped things would change with these meetings, for now it looks like they are useless, since the PM apparently cannot accept that any decisions that he has taken could under any circumstances be undone. Last night, the young protesters were joined by their mothers in Gezi Park to support them. The attitude of the media, too, is changing. They were so far not publishing the whole story, so that maybe more than half of the people in Turkey didn't know what is really going on here. But in the last three days I met lots of people who woted for AKP and still had come to Gezi Park to join the protest. The people in Taksim Square, maybe for the first time in our history, are significantly well-educated and know what they want. We are not there to fight with the police, we are not there hurt or damage anything. We only want democracy – which is quiet funny: asking for democracy in 21th century. Things are changing in Turkey. This is not like a revolution.
Even though we hoped things would change with these meetings, for now it looks like they are useless, since the PM apparently cannot accept that any decisions that he has taken could under any circumstances be undone.
Last night, the young protesters were joined by their mothers in Gezi Park to support them. The attitude of the media, too, is changing. They were so far not publishing the whole story, so that maybe more than half of the people in Turkey didn't know what is really going on here. But in the last three days I met lots of people who woted for AKP and still had come to Gezi Park to join the protest. The people in Taksim Square, maybe for the first time in our history, are significantly well-educated and know what they want. We are not there to fight with the police, we are not there hurt or damage anything. We only want democracy – which is quiet funny: asking for democracy in 21th century. Things are changing in Turkey. This is not like a revolution.
Last night there was a piano concert in the square. People are finding their own ways to protest. It looks like we will be organizing our second chess tournament this Sunday, and maybe the third one next week. Players will complete their 'Democratic Master' norms, and wait for governments approval.
19.6.2013 - The Tal Memorial is on of the highlights throughout the chess summer. Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik and many more are participating! Beginning at 2 pm Daniel King will analyse the games. Become Premium Member!
18.6.2013 - The Tal Memorial is on of the highlights throughout the chess summer. Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik and many more are participating! Beginning at 2 pm Lawrence Trent will analyse the games. Become Premium Member!
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