chess

Vladimir Kramnik won the four game, rapid chess, tie-break match this morning. It was a real nail-biter of an event! Game one was a blunder-filled draw. Kramnik won game two in his usual style, grinding Topalov down in a difficult, technical endgame. Topalov struck back with a win in game three, trapping Kramnik's king in the center and then annihilating him with a whirlwind attack. But Kramnik won game four in yet another technical endgame. Let us record the final moments for posterity: Kramnik, playing white, is a pawn up in what is surely a winning endgame. But there are still…
Well, regulation play has run out in the big chess match. Game Twelve was another interesting affair, but it ultimately petered out to a draw. Officially the score is tied at six points each. In chess matches of this sort, the custom is that in the case of a tie the players split the prize money evenly, but the champion keeps his title. But that doesn't apply here. After all, Topalov is the official FIDE champion, while Kramnik is the champion by having defeated the previous champion, Gary Kasparov, in a match. This was the match that was supposed to unify the title once again. So it…
Game Eleven of the big chess match ended in a draw after a long, difficult endgame. Kramnik, playing black, stuck to his beloved Slav Defense despite the catastrophe in game nine. Topalov again tried a new idea, but Kramnik defended well and entered an endgame where he had only a very slight disadvantage. After some inaccuracies by Topalov, Kramnik managed to gain the upper hand and even won a pawn. But it was not enough to win and eventually a draw was agreed. The twelfth and final game is on Thursday. All tied up, including the forfeit by Kramnik in game five. Both players have a lot…
And to think that just a few days ago it seemed like this match would end abruptly because of an insane dispute over visits to the bathroom. Topalov scored back-to-back victories in games eight and nine to take a one point lead in the match. Kramnik was back on ihs heels, and some among the cognoscenti were talking seriously about a complete psychological collapse on his part. Add to that the fact that both of Topalov's wins were impressive and convincing, whereas Karmnik's earlier wins had more to do with luck, and it was not looking good for the champ. But as he has done so often in the…
A dramatic turn of events in the big chess match. Topalov won game nine in convincing fashion, his second win in a row. Topalov now has a one point lead in the match (including the point he got when Kramnik forfeited game five). Three games remain, and Kramnik will have white in two of them. Topalov came up with a novelty against Kramnik's beloved Salv Defense. He played in his usual, risky, enterprising manner and quickly established an opening advantage. The middlegame was tense throughout. As one of the commentators on the Internet Chess Club pointed out, it was a battle of the world…
The final position makes a pretty picture: Topalov, playing black, whipped out a novelty in the well-trodden Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav. He managed to produce an objectively equal but materially imbalanced endgame where he had two knights against Kramnik's rook and pawn. This is just the sort of position Topalov loves, and he managed to pounce on some inaccurate moves by Kramnik. In the diagrammed position, white can't avoid mate. Black has just played 52. ... Rb2-f2. White gets mated after 53. Kg1 Rxg2+ 54. Kf1 Rf2+ 55. Ke1 Nd3+ 56. Kd1 Rd2 mate. Other moves for white…
Only have time for a quick post today, so let me just mention that Game Seven of the big chess match ended in a draw in 60 moves. Topalov once again had white, and once again failed to get anywhere against Kramnik's Slav Defense. In fact, towards the end it was Topalov who had to play carefully to secure the draw. Alas, the Topalov camp has now explicitly charged Kramnik with cheating. The claim is based on a comparison of Kramnik's moves to those selected by the well-known computer chess playing program Fritz. You can find the charges laid out here. The Chess Ninja explains why this is…
Well, the big chess match has resumed. There are still unresolved issues, but I don't have the patience to wade through them. The bottom line is that game six was this morning, and it was a fairly uneventful draw. Topalov got his customary advantage with the white pieces, and Kramnik responded with his usual tough defense. Kramnik's forfeit in game five stands, so officially the score is now 3.5-2.5. The match is now half over, and Topalov still has an uphill climb if he is going to tie or win. When the match started I was planning to write a whole post at this point about how this…
That's the headline in The New York Times. I'm not kidding. Game five of the big reunification match for the World Chess Championship was supposed to be today. This was the match that was going to restore harmony to the chess world, after the big split in 1993 when Gary Kasparov refused to defend his title under the auspices of FIDE. (That's pronounced FEE-day, incidentally, and stands for Federation Internationale des Echecs.) FIDE officially stripped him of the title for his trouble, leading to a boxing-like situation where there were multiple world champions. When the appointed time…
The big chess match continues apace. Topalov pressed hard with the white pieces in game four. He developed some advantage but was never really close to winning. Kramnik's tough-as-nails defense did not permit any breakthroughs, and Topalov had to settle for a draw. The score is now 3-1 in Kramnik's favor. Thursday is a rest day; the match resumes on Friday.
Veselin Topalov finally managed to get on the board in the third game of his match with Vladimir Kramnik. On the black side of another Catalan Topalov made a draw in 38 moves. This was no grandmaster draw, however. Topalov fought hard as always to generate chances, and at one point might have pressed too hard. Kramnik had chances to play for win, but the variations were difficult to analyze and Kramnik predictably went for the safe draw. Up two points, there's no reason for him to take chances. Three exciting, hard-fought games so far. If Topalov can win with white in game four I think…
Two games down in the big World Chess Championship and two wins for Kramnik. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Game One saw the quiet Catalan Defense from Kramnik, an ultra-solid opening fitting Kramnik's style. He obtained a small advantage out of the opening but Topalov was never in serious danger. Near the first time control Topalov had an opportunity to force a draw, and that was when things got weird. By this time Topalov had a slightly more active position than Kramnik, and, in keeping with his style, decided to go for broke. But Kramnik defended well and Topalov was unable to…
Omigod, omigod, omigod! Ask me how excited I am. Go ahead, ask me. Answer: Very excited. Why? Because the match for the World Chess Championship begins tomorrow, as you would know if our miserable press corps would get around to covering something important for a change. The defending champion is Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, who won the title by defeating the seemingly invincible Gary Kasparov in 2000. At his best Kramnik is unbeatable, but he has been plagued by health problems over the last few years that have hurt his results. He even left competitive play for close to a year. But…
The World Open went well. I managed six points out of a possible nine. Sadly, you needed six and a half to win any money. Did manage to pick up a handful of rating points, however. My final tally was four wins, three draws, one loss, and one half-point bye, which I will explain in a moment. The full details are available here. I was playing in the three-day schedule, meaning I had to play my first five games in one day, at an accelerated time control of game in 45 minutes. If you use more than 45 minutes, you lose (with very few exceptions). Since I tend to be better at slower time…
With all the other things going on, I never got around to acknowledging the fine performance by the United States team at the recently completed chess olympiad in Turin, Italy. Armenia took the gold medal, while China took silver. That Russia finished out of the medals is one of the major news stories of the event. More than 150 teams participated in the event. Well done!
While I was away I managed to find time to play in the U.S. Amateur East chess tournament. You can find the full details here. I managed 4 points out of 6, which was good enough to pick up some rating points but not good enough to win any money. I did, however, manage to wrap up the tournament with a pretty move: Timothy Hall (2048) - J.R. (1924) Position After 22. Rh3-c3Black to Play and Win This occurred in the sixth and final round, and emerged from my favorite Scandinavian Defense. My opponent had gotten carried away early on and launched an ill-advised pawn-storm on the king-side.…