Gideon Japhet Memorial with Gelfand vs Svidler

Gideon Japhet Memorial Open Chess Tournament 2014

The Second Gideon Japhet Memorial Open Chess Tournament is taking place in Jerusalem, from July 16-24, 2014. It consists of three Opens and an Amateur Group. The nine-round Open A is for player rated 2000 or above; the seven-round Opens B and C for players rated 1800 to 2200 and for players with ratings up to 1900; and the five-round Amateurs for unrated players. Rate of play is 40 moves in 90 minutes, then the rest of the game in 30 minutes, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting at the first move. The prize fund is 55,000 NIS (New Israli Sheqels = 12,000 Euros or US $16,000).

The playing hall in the Hebrew University Secondary School, Rupin Road 1, Jerusalem

Spectators in the balconies, with many young chess enthusiasts

Gideon Japhet, 1928-2013

Attorney Gideon Japhet was born and raised in Jerusalem. He was a passionate lover of chess and sports. His parents were Rosa Braz and Chaim Japhet, who was among the founders of social welfare in Israel and the deputy of Henrietta Szold.

After graduating from the Gymnasia Rehavia, Jerusalem’s first modern Jewish high school, Gideon served as a Noter in Kfar Szold, protecting the Jewish population in the Galilee. He was an active member of the Haganah, was arrested by the British and imprisoned in the Kishle, and released when the British departed following the declaration of the State of Israel. He fought in the battles for Jerusalem in the War of Independence in the Moriah Battalion, took part in accompanying the convoys to Jerusalem and commanded a mortar crew.

After the war he studied law at the Sorbonne in Paris and established a law office in Jerusalem, which operated and thrived for over fifty years. He was also the first Jewish lawyer who represented the Arab community in East Jerusalem and the West Bank after the Six Day War.

Gideon was a well-known and beloved figure in Jerusalem. His dramatic appearances in court and eloquent biblical language were memorable. Chess was chief among his hobbies and the love for chess, which spanned over seventy years, was passed on by him with devotion to his children and grandchildren. Chess and sports, for the development of a healthy mind in a healthy body, were in his mind the winning combination for a full and happy life. He devoted many hours each day to them and gathered around him many soul mates and fans. Throughout the years he took part in marathons and half-marathon, and even at the age of 80 he participated in the veteran race for ten km. He was very proud that he was the only player who achieved a draw in a simultaneous chess game in Jerusalem against grandmaster Alexander Huzman, to which he was invited as the oldest player.

This tournament, which aims to promote chess in Israel, is dedicated to preserving the memory of Gideon Japhet, to continue his path and perpetuate his legacy.

Gelfand-Svidler Rapid match

The event is also host to a series of eight Rapid Chess games between local hero Boris Gelfand and Russian GM Peter Svidler, with two games per day on Sunday, 20.7 (15:30 - 18:00), Monday, 21.7 (14:00 - 16:30), Wednesday, 23.7 (14:00 - 16:30) and Thursday, 24.7 (11:00 - 14:00).

The Gelfand-Svidler match is now at mid-point, with four of the eight games have been played. Svidler leads 2.5:1.5, having won the third game with black. The games resume today and can be watched on Wednesday and Thursday on the official web site and on Playchess.

The following four videos include interviews with Gelfand and Svidler following each of their games, with full game analysis. Videos one and three begin with some fun questions and anecdotes which will be of interest to chess enthusiasts who want to learn more about these two great grandmasters. We have put the games on a JavaScript board below each video.

Information and photos provided by Gilad Japhet

Gilad Japhet is the CEO of MyHeritage, a family-oriented social network service and genealogy website that allows members to create their own family websites, share pictures and videos, organize family events, create family trees, and search for ancestors. With over 75 million users, MyHeritage is one of the largest sites in the social networking and genealogy field. The company represents a community of more than 75 million users, 1.5 billion profiles and over four billion historical records. There are more than 27 million family trees and 163 million photos on the site, and the site is accessible in 40 languages.

Links Official tournament site All games of Gelfand-Svidler in PGN 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.