Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Women’s National A Chess Championship : Swati, Kiran join Tania at the top.

Maiden WGM norm for Kiran Mohanty, WIM norm for Priya.

Kiran Monisha Mohanty of Orissa made her maiden WGM norm while P Priya of Tamil Nadu made her final WIM norm on a day that witnessed fighting chess on all the boards!

Three and half hours into the game and one would expect half the games to be over. But that wasn’t to happen in the 9th round of the 34th Women’s National A Chess Championship organized by Symbiosis Spa Chess School at Symbiosis Center for Health Care Campus, Range Hills Road, Kirkee, Pune. Not only were the top boards fighting it out but even on the lower boards no player was ready to give up , thus making this round one of the most interesting ones.

Swati Ghate of LIC beat Mary Ann Gomes while Kiran Mohanty beat Nimmy George to join Tania Sachdev in lead on 6.5 points. Top seed IM Dronavalli Harika and WIM Soumya Swaminathan are on 2nd place with 6 points.

On the top board Tania playing the White’s side of the King’s Indian Defense chose to play the h3, Bg5 line. But she handled the opening miserably and landed herself in a difficult position. Soumya won a pawn but Tania’s double Bishop gave her some compensation. Next was Soumya’s turn to err and soon Tania got a winning position. But Tania messed it up and finally the game ended in a draw. Soumya who needed to win to make her WGM norm will have to wait for her chances in the next round.

Swati Ghate played the Pirc Defense from Black against Mary but it soon transposed into a Sicilian type position. Swati won a pawn in the middle game and in the endgame she converted her advantage in spite of the mutual time trouble.

Harika playing White side of the Slav Defense got an advantage in the middle game but a small inaccuracy let it slip away. Nisha exchanged the Queens and went into a Rook and opposite colored Bishops endgame. Realizing that no further progress was possible both players decided to share the point.

Kiran Monisha Mohanty continued her fine run with a comprehensive victory over Nimmy George. Nimmy playing Black chose the Sicilian Classical to which Kiran replied with the Rauzer attack. Kiran got an advantage early in the opening and soon won material. She then aimed for the exposed Black King and created deadly mating threats. Finally Nimmy who was about to get mated resigned. WGM Eesha Karavade playing White against unseeded Divyasri got a very slight advantage in a Knight versus Bishop ending but it was never going to be easy to win. Eesha tried every trick in her bag and tested the nerves of her opponent but Divyasri played accurately to hold on to a draw after 96 moves!!

P Priya drew with WFM Sai Meera to make her final Woman International Master norm. With just two rounds to go the fight for the Olympiad berth (top 3) has intensified. The players are also slugging it out for a place in the 6-member Indian team that will represent India in various open tournaments. Who will win the title, is still hard to predict.

The games are being shown live on http://www.symbiosisspa.lci.in/ the official website for the tournament.

Results-: round9

Tania Sachdev 6.5 drew with Soumya Swaminathan 6; Mary Ann Gomes 5.5 lost to Swati Ghate 6.5; Harika Dronavalli 6 drew with Nisha Mohota 5.5; Kiran Manisha Mohanty 6.5 beat Nimmy George 5; Eesha Karavade 5 drew with Divyasri Ch. 5; Sia Meera 4.5 drew with P Priya 5; Pon. Krithika 4 lost to Padmini Rout 5; Amruta Mokal 5 beat P Uthra 4; S Nabeela Farheen 3.5 lost to R Aarthie 5; Anuprita Patil 3.5 lost to R Preethi 4; Swati Mohota 4 beat Dhyani Dave 3; Rucha Pujari 4 beat S Harini 3; M R Sangeetha 3.5 drew with Savetha C H 3; S Athirai had a bye

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

World Cup pairings

These are the pairings for round 1 of the World Chess Cup that will take place from the 23rd of November to 17th of December in Khanty-Mansiysk. 128 of the world's top chess players will take part in the competition. Here are the pairings for round 1.


Ivanchuk, Vassily (1) - Aderito, Pedro (128)
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (2) - Abdel Razik, Khaled (127)
Radjabov, Teimour (3) - Genba, Vladimir (126)
Aronian, Levon (4) - Hobaica, Juan Pablo (125)
Shirov, Alexei (5) - Gwaze, Robert (124)
Svidler, Peter (6) - Iturrizaga, Eduardo (123)
Adams, Michael (7) - Zugic, Igor (122)
Alekseev, Evgeny (8) - Ismagambetov, Anuar (121)
Grischuk, Alexander (9) - Lima, Darcy (120)
Carlsen, Magnus (10) - Zhao, Zong-Yuan (119)
Kamsky, Gata (11) - Adly, Ahmed (118)
Akopian, Vladimir (12) - Filippov, Anton (117)
Jakovenko, Dmitry (13) - Rahman, Ziaur (116)
Ponomariov, Ruslan (14) - El Gindy, Essam (115)
Wang, Yue (15) - Pridorozhni, Aleksei (114)
Bacrot, Etienne (16) - Laylo, Darwin (113)
Karjakin, Sergey (17) - Matsuura, Everaldo (112)
Bu, Xiangzhi (18) - Kabanov, Nikolai (111)
Eljanov, Pavel (19) - Hossain Enamul (110)
Almasi, Zoltan (20) - Wen Yang (109)
Malakhov, Vladimir (21) - Xu, Yuhua (108)
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam (22) - Gopal, G.N. (107)
Dominguez Perez, Lenier (23) - Iljushin, Alexei (106)
Van Wely, Loek (24) - Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son (105)
Landa, Konstantin (25) - Nevednichy, Vladislav (104)
Volokitin, Andrei (26) - Le, Quang Liem (103)
Rublevsky, Sergei (27) - Hera, Imre Jr. (102)
Onischuk, Alexander (28) - Andriasian, Zaven (101)
Inarkiev, Ernesto (29) - Peralta, Fernando (100)
Zvjaginsev, Vadim (30) - Kunte, Abhijit (99)
Cheparinov, Ivan (31) - Gonzalez Zamora, Juan Carlos (98)
Harikrishna, P. (32) - Zhao, Jun (97)
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter (33) - Amin, Bassem (96)
Tkachiev, Vladislav (34) - Balogh, Csaba (95)
Sasikiran, Krishnan (35) - Zhigalko, Sergei (94)
Vallejo Pons, Francisco (36) - Kudrin, Sergey (93)
Nikolic, Predrag (37) - Iljin, Artem (92)
Navara, David (38) - Ivanov, Alexander (91)
Sutovsky, Emil (39) - Zhou, Jianchao (90)
Fressinet, Laurent (40) - Flores, Diego (89)
Bareev, Evgeny (41) - Becerra Rivero, Julio (88)
Short, Nigel D (42) - Baramidze, David (87)
Georgiev, Kiril (43) - Megaranto, Susanto (86)
Volkov, Sergey (44) - Gajewski, Grzegorz (85)
Socko, Bartosz (45) - Georgiev, Vladimir (84)
Tomashevsky, Evgeny (46) - Mamedov, Rauf (83)
Motylev, Alexander (47) - Savchenko, Boris (82)
Zhang, Pengxiang (48) - Gagunashvili, Merab (81)
Roiz, Michael (49) - Akobian, Varuzhan (80)
Tiviakov, Sergei (50) - Ganguly, Surya Shekhar (79)
Wang, Hao (51) - Markus, Robert (78)
Khalifman, Alexander (52) - Belov, Vladimir (77)
Izoria, Zviad (53) - Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan (76)
Avrukh, Boris (54) - Milos, Gilberto (75)
Naiditsch, Arkadij (55) - Granda Zuniga, Julio E (74)
Najer, Evgeniy (56) - Berg, Emanuel (73)
Sakaev, Konstantin (57) - Vitiugov, Nikita (72)
Gurevich, Mikhail (58) - Kaidanov, Gregory S (71)
Shabalov, Alexander (59) - Pavasovic, Dusko (70)
Shulman, Yuri (60) - Leitao, Rafael (69)
Rodshtein, Maxim (61) - Gustafsson, Jan (68)
Laznicka, Viktor (62) - Macieja, Bartlomiej (67)
Kozul, Zdenko (63) - Bruzon Batista, Lazaro (66)
Bartel, Mateusz (64) - Galkin, Alexander (65)
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The Chess Champions League enters in a decisive stage

Ponomariov leading, Topalov getting closer


The category 19 tournament "Chess Champions League", that is currently taking place in Vitoria, enters in a decisive phase. Two rounds before the end the top 3 players are 1 point apart. The race between Ponomariov (5,5/8), Topalov (5,0/8), and Polgar (4,5/8) will be an exciting clash with direct matches. But no matter who grabs the title, the real winner is a hospiatal in Congo. All money collected from the event will be donated to it.

topalov thinking 1 Ponomariov yellow suit

Ponomariov leading, Topalov getting closer

Round 8 started with a full point advantage of Ruslan Ponomariov over Judith Polgar and Veselin Topalov. Ponomariov had white against Karpov in the battle of "the youngest against the veteran". Ponomariov chose a quiet opening. The Ukranian played the whole game for a secure draw and in spite of Karpov's efforts to find a way to victory the points were split in the end.

The game between Kasimdzhanov and Polgar followed a similar scenario. The Uzbek played for a secure draw. However, as it happens many times with Judith, after a quiet beginning she found a way to launch a counter attack on the opponent. Kasimdzhanov passed through some difficult stages of the game and in the end draw was agreed.

The exciting game of the day was between Topalov and Nisipeanu. In a game full of sharp moves and keen tactics, both players managed to launch various attacks on the opponent's king. In the end it was Topalov who with constant pressure managed to break through Nisipeanu's defense and get the full point.

Round 8 standings

Only two rounds before the end, Ponomariov is leading in front of Topalov and Polgar. Karpov and Kasimdzhanov are not particularly happy with the tournament since they have not managed to score a full point so far.

1 GM PONOMARIOV, Ruslan 5,5
2 GM TOPALOV, Veselin 5,0
3 GM POLGAR, Judit HUN 4,5
4 GM NISIPEANU, Liviu-Dieter 4,0
5 GM KARPOV, Anatoly 2,5
6 GM KASIMDZHANOV, Rustam 2,5

Pairings round 9

TOPALOV - PONOMARIOV
NISIPEANU - POLGAR
KASIMDZHANOV - KARPOV

World Cup 2007 preview

Extremely strong event in extreme weather conditions



The Chess World Cup 2007 will take place from the 23rd of November to 17th of December in Khanty-Mansiysk. 128 of the world's top chess players will take part in the competition, which will be a 7 rounds knock out event. The first six rounds will consist of two games each, while the final will be a four games match. Every day will be played only one game, thus the first rounds will take two days, while the final one will be four days long.
The total prize fund of the competition is 1,92 million USD. The winner of the World Cup will meet Veselin Topalov in a semi final match for the WCC title.
Particiapnts

The World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk will collect the world chess elite players. Top seeded is Vasily Ivanchuk, followed by Mamedyarov, Radjabov, Aronian, Shirov, Svidler, Adams, Alekseev, Grischuk, Carlsen, Kamsky, Akopian, Jakovenko, Ponomariov, etc. Besides, we will see all the other World Chess Championship participants, the 2006 Women World Champion Xu Yuhua (CHN), and the 2006 Junior Champion Andriasian (ARM), and the 20 players with highest average rating from the 7/2006 and 1/2007 lists. They will be joined by 45 players from the European Championships 2006 and 2007 (Kozul, Kiril Georgiev, A. Naiditsch, E. Inarkiev, P. Nikolic, V. Tkachiev, I. Cheparinov, M. Roiz, S. Tiviakov, etc.). 19 players enter the World Cup from the Zonals and Continetal of Americas - Shalabov, Onishchuk, Kaidanov, Becera, Granda Zuniga, Leitao, Bruzon, Akobian, etc. 19 players are from the Zonals and Continental of Asia/Oceania and 6 players from the Continent of Africa.

World Cup participants - full list
Pairings

Round 1 World Cup pairings do not produce any star clashes, however, there will be several very interesting battles. Gata Kamsky will take on Ahmed Adly, the winner of the World Junior Chess Championship. Mikhail Gurevich will have his first match against Gregory Kaidanov, and Tkachiev against Csaba Balogh. Among the possible matches are Roiz - Bacrot, Bareev - Van Wely, Aronian - Rodshtein, Vallejo - Inarkiev, Jakovenko - Khalifman, Shirov - Leitao, Radjabov - Laznicka, Ponomariov - Lang Hao, Rublevsky - Navara, Georgiev - Adams. Top 20 players do not have the possibility to face each other until round 3. However, having in mind the format of the competition and the length of the event it is very possible that it turns into a battle of psychology and physical endurance.
Khanty Mansiysk

Khanty-Mansiysk is a town in Russia, the administrative center of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, with a population of about 50 000 people. It is a well know event for ski events such as the 2003 Biathlon World Championships and the first Mixed Biathlon Relay in 2005. However, now the government of the town is directing all efforts towards chess. The town hosted the 2005 World Chess Cup and will host this year's edition as well. It will also be the center of the Chess Olympiad in 2010. One thing that players and visitors should beware. At this moment the temperature in Khanty Mansiysk is minus 10 degrees Celsius. Until the competition starts it is expected to drop more.

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Monday, November 12, 2007

Tal memorial Chess Round 3

In round 3 four out of five games gave full reults. Top seeds like Kramnik and Ivanchuk continue their form by winning over Leko and Mamedyarov respectively. Teenager and upcoming talent Magnus Carlsen tasted his first win.
Shirov won the close battle against Kamsky and Gelfand dra his game with Alekseev.


Kamsky, Gata vs. Shirov, Alexei



1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 c5 4. dxc5 g5 5. Bg3 Bg7 6. c3 Na6 7. Qa4+ Bd7 8. Qa3
Qc8 9. c6 Bxc6 10. Nd2 e5 11. e4 Ne7 12. Ngf3 f6 13. exd5 Bxd5 14. Bb5+ Kf7 15.
c4 Bc6 16. O-O Rd8 17. Rad1 Qd7 18. h4 g4 19. Nh2 Qd4 20. Rfe1 h5 21. Nhf1 Qc5
22. Qa4 Bxb5 23. cxb5 Qb4 24. Qc2 Qxb5 25. Nc4 Qc6 26. Qb3 Kf8 27. Na5 Qc7 28.
Qb5 Qc5 29. Qb3 0-1




Alekseev, Evgeny vs. Gelfand, Boris




1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qc2 dxc4 8. e3
b5 9. a4 Bb7 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Nxb5 Bb4+ 12. Nc3 O-O 13. Be2 Nd7 14. O-O e5 15.
Qa4 Qe7 16. Qb5 exd4 17. Nxd4 Nb6 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Nxf3 Qc5 20. Ra6 Rfb8 21.
Nd4 Qxb5 22. Ncxb5 Rb7 23. g3 Nd7 24. Rc1 1/2-1/2



Jakovenko, Dmitry vs. Carlsen, Magnus



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qa5 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Bxc3 13. bxc3 Ba6 14.
Rfd1 Qc5 15. e4 Bc4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qb4 Qh5 18. Bf4 c5 19. Qb2 Rad8 20. Re1 Rd7
21. h3 h6 22. a4 Ba6 23. Qa2 Rfd8 24. a5 Nc4 25. Bf1 e5 26. g4 Qg6 27. Bxc4
exf4 28. Bd5 f3 29. c4 h5 30. Kh2 Qf6 31. Rg1 hxg4 32. Rab1 Bxc4 33. Qxc4 Qf4+
34. Rg3 Rxd5 35. Qxd5 Rxd5 36. exd5 c4 37. Rd1 c3 38. d6 c2 39. Rd3 Qc4 40. Re3
Qc6 41. Rd3 Qc5 0-1


Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar vs. Ivanchuk,


1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3
dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Bb3 Qe7 13. Ne4 e5 14. Nc3 a5 15.
a3 Kh7 16. Rfe1 b6 17. Rad1 Bb7 18. d5 Rac8 19. d6 Qe8 20. h4 f5 21. e4 f4 22.
Na4 Bf6 23. g3 Bd8 24. Kg2 Rf6 25. g4 Ba6 26. g5 Rf8 27. gxh6 Kxh6 28. Rg1 c5
29. Bd5 b5 30. Nc3 b4 31. Ne2 Nb6 32. Kh2 Rh8 33. Bf7 Qxf7 34.
Nxe5 Qe8 35.
Nxg6 Nd7 36. Nexf4 Ne5 37. d7 Nxd7 38. e5 Qxe5 39. Nxe5 1-0



Kramnik, Vladimir vs. Leko, Peter



1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Ra7 11. Rc1 Be4 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. e3 Qa8 14. Qd1 b4 15. Qf1
Bd5 16. Be1 Rc8 17. Nbd2 Na5 18. Ne5 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Nd3 Bf8 21. Bxd5 Nxd5
22. e4 Nb6 23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Nf3 Qb7 25. Nxb4 Qxe4 26. Qd3 Qxd3 27. Nxd3 Nac4
28. b3 Nd6 29. Rc1 Nd5 30. Rc6 Nf5 31. Ba5 Ra8 32. Nfe5 Nfe7 33. Rd6 Nf6 34. b4
Ned5 35. Rc6 Be7 36. a4 g6 37. Nc4 Kf8 38. Nc5 Bxc5 39. bxc5 Ke8 40. f3 Ng8 41.
Nb6 Nge7 42. Rd6 Rb8 43. Nxd5 Nxd5 44. Rxa6 Rc8 45. Bb6 Nb4 46. Ra7 Nc6 47. Rb7
Ra8 48. Rc7 Nd4 49. a5 Nxf3+ 50. Kf2 Nxh2 51. c6 Ng4+ 52. Kf3 Nf6 53. Rb7 Nd5
54. Ke4 Nb4 55. c7 Rc8 56. Kd4 Kd7 57. Kc5 Nc6 58. a6 h5 59. a7 f5 60. a8=Q
Rxa8 61. c8=Q+ Kxc8 62. Kxc6 1-0


Round 3 results

1

Kamsky

0-1

Shirov

2

Kramnik

1-0

Leko

3

Alekseev

=

Gelfand

4

Jakovenko

0-1

Carlsen

5

Mamedyarov

1-0

Ivanchuk


Standings after Round 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1

Leko, Peter

2755


=
0
1
1,5
2

Kamsky, Gata

2714

=

=
0
1
3

Kramnik, Vladimir

2785

1

=
=
2
4

Alekseev, Evgeny

2716


=
=
=
1,5
5

Jakovenko, Dmitry

2710


=
=
0
1
6

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar

2752

=
1
=
2
7

Ivanchuk, Vassily

2787

=
=
0

1
8

Carlsen, Magnus

2714

=
=
1

2
9

Gelfand, Boris

2736

=
=
=

1,5
10

Shirov, Alexei

2739

0
1
=

1,5



Round 4 Pairings

1

Shirov


Ivanchuk

2

Carlsen


Mamedyarov

3

Gelfand


Jakovenko

4

Leko


Alekseev

5

Kamsky


Kramnik

Champions League Chess Tournament Round 8:Tania Sachdev takes sole lead.


The tournament has finally found a sole leader. Defending Champion Woman Grandmaster Tania Sachdev of Indian Airlines today beat P Priya of Tamil Nadu to take lead while the top two boards witnessed fighting draws at the end of the 8th round of the 34th Women’s National A Chess Championship organized by Symbiosis Spa Chess School at Symbiosis Center for Health Care Campus, Range Hills Road, Kirkee, Pune. Five players share the second spot on 5.5 points

P Priya playing White chose the exchange variation of the Spanish Opening against Asian Individual Women’s Champion Tania. Priya made a questionable 8th move after which her pawn structure was severely weakened. Tania slowly maneuvered her pieces to build up pressure on White’s weak f5 pawn and soon gobbled it up. After a couple of exchanges the game steered into a Rook pawn ending where Tania used her advantageous Rook position to win another pawn and forced Priya to resign.

Game Ananysis

P, Priya vs. Sachdev, Tania



1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd6 8. Nf5 Bxf5 9. exf5 Qd7 10. Re1 Be5 11. Qh5 Qf7 12. Qd1 Ne7 13. a4 O-O 14. Qg4 Rad8 15. c3 Rd5 16. g3 Bd6 17. Nd2 Nxf5 18. Ne4 Qg6 19. Qe2 Kh8 20. Nxd6 cxd6 21. Bf4 h6 22. Kh1 Qf7 23. Qe4 g5 24. c4 Rc5 25. Bxd6 Nxd6 26. Qd4 Rf5 27. Qxd6 Rxf2 28. Qd4 Rc2 29. Rac1 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Qe7 31. Rd1 Re8 32. a5 Kg7 33. Qg4 Kg6 34. h4 Qe4 35. Qxe4 Rxe4 36. hxg5 hxg5 37. b3 Re3 38. b4 Rxg3 39. Rd7 Rh3 40. Kg2 Rh7 41. Rd1 Kf5 42. Rf1 Ke5 43. Re1 Kd4 0-1


On the top board WGM Swati Ghate of LIC, playing White chose the Be2 variation in the Sicilian Classical Opening but Harika transposed the game into Sicilian Dragon Classical variation. Swati did not get much out of the opening and very soon Harika maneuvered her Queen to a strong position. She then started to push her pawns on the Queenside to create a breakthrough. Swati sensed the danger and started a counter attack on Harika’s King, also sacrificing an exchange in the process. Harika did not play the most accurate moves after that and Swati was relieved to get a perpetual check and force a draw.

ary Ann Gomes played the Rosolimo variation from the White side of the Sicilian against Kiran Mohanty. Mary had an advantage in the Rook-Bishop endgame that arose and even got a deadly passed pawn on 6th rank. But she failed to find the best moves. After the Bishops got exchanged the game reached a Rook Pawn ending where Kiran played accurately to force a draw.

WGM R Aarthie playing White side of the Sicilian scheveningen against Pune’s WIM Soumya Swaminathan went for a typical attack against Soumya’s king. Soumya created counter play in the center and established her Knight on the strong e4 square. In the complex position where a small mistake would prove costly Aarthie blundered an important pawn and literally handed over Soumya the full point.

Amruta Mokal playing Black against WGM Nisha Mohota played inaccurately in the opening and then blundered a piece to give Nisha a simple win. Nimmy George beat Pon. Krithika in an Alekhine’s defense game. Krithika playing Black lost an exchange early in the game and Nimmy converted her advantage in the endgame. WGM Eesha Karavade finally scored a much desired victory. She beat her city-mate Anuprita Patil quite comfortably from the White side of the Slav Defense.

With three rounds to go the tournament is still wide open and as the top three finishers will make it to the Indian Olympiad team it is time for some exciting and fighting chess in the remaining rounds.

Results-: round 8

Swati Ghate 5.5 drew with Harika Dronavalli 5.5;
Mary Ann Gomes 5.5 drew with Kiran Manisha Mohanty 5.5;
P Priya 4.5 lost to Tania Sachdev 6;
Aarthie Ramaswamy 4 lost to Soumya Swaminathan 5.5;
Nisha Mohota 5 beat Amruta Mokal 4;
Nimmy George 5 beat Pon. Krithika 4;
Eesha Karavade 4.5 beat Anuprita Patil 3.5;
Divyasri Ch 4.5 beat S Nabeela Farheen 3.5;
Padmini Rout 4 beat Rucha Pujari 3;
S Harini 3 lost to Sai Meera 4;
P Uthra 4 beat Swati Mohota 3;
Dhyani Dave 3 drew with R Preethi 3;
S Athirai 2.5 lost to M R Sangeetha 3;
C H Sevitha had a bye

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Rank SNo.
Name Rtg FED Pts BH. RtgØ
1 3 WGM Tania Sachdev 2413 IND 6 34½ 2269
2 6 WGM Swathi Ghate 2316 IND 34½ 2270
3 7 WIM Kiran Manisha Mohanty 2263 IND 34 2276
4 1 IM Harika Dronavalli 2480 IND 34 2275
5 8 WIM Gomes Mary Ann 2262 IND 32½ 2208
6 9 WIM Soumya Swaminathan 2244 IND 31 2230
7 2 WGM Mohota Nisha 2416 IND 5 32½ 2213
8 12
Nimmy A G 2196 IND 5 29½ 2166
9 4 WGM Karavade Eesha 2331 IND 35½ 2265
10 15
Priya P 2129 IND 31 2229
11 25
Divyasri Ch 2050 IND 24½ 2102
12 5 WGM Ramaswamy Aarthie 2317 IND 4 35½ 2258
13 11 WFM Meera Sai 2205 IND 4 35½ 2248
14 13
Amrutha Mokal 2159 IND 4 31½ 2184
15 14 WFM Pon N Krithika 2140 IND 4 31½ 2177
16 10
Padmini Rout 2226 IND 4 27½ 2166
17 24
Uthra P 2055 IND 4 22 2072
18 22
Anuprita Patil 2060 IND 32½ 2224
19 20
Syed Nabeela Farheen 2093 IND 28½ 2129
20 23
Harini S 2060 IND 3 28½ 2153
21 21 WFM Pujari Rucha 2061 IND 3 27½ 2128
22 17
Sangeetha M R 2118 IND 3 27½ 2126
23 26 WFM Dave Dhyani 2002 IND 3 27 2109
24 18
Swati Mohota 2112 IND 3 26 2089
25 16
Preethi R 2125 IND 3 25 2100
26 27
Athirai S 2000 IND 22½ 2091
27 28
Savetha C H 1968 IND 21½ 1959
28 19
Baisakhi Das 2101 IND 1 22½ 2090

High standard at the chess championships

The Junior chess players participating in the National Championships at the Hotel Tower. At left foreground is Saeed Ali versus Cecil Cox and Scion Taitt versus Sheriffa Ali. Ronald Roberts and Taffin Khan, playing in the background, are the current lead

Memories are being refreshed for scores of Guyanese who took an interest in the chess of yesteryear now that the National Chess Championships are being contested following a lapse in activity of well over a decade.

Recalling Charles Dickens's famous lines, yesteryear was the best of times for chess in Guyana, but one decade ago we entered on what can now be seen as the worst of times.

However, early this year, we found an oasis of chess in the desert and we have been drinking cool, clear water ever since. We have promised ourselves never to go back to that wilderness.

And so the National Chess Championships are being played with both satisfaction and determination. The first half of the championships have been completed with myself and former National Junior Champion Kriskal Persaud from Rose Hall sharing the lead with 6½ points each from the eight games which have been played. We both lost one game each to Learie Webster and Andre Griffith respectively, and drew our game. Among the juniors, Taffin Khan and Ronald Roberts have emerged as winners of the first half.

In the senior category I would rate the games as being of a high standard. One slip, and you are history. You can see your opponents have been practising on the computer. The moves are too familiar. But it is in the middle game and the end game that the fireworks reside. It is here that you enter no man's land, and it is only through excellent play on the board that you can prosper. Win, lose or draw, we are all enjoying the games and the generosity of the hotels, namely, Ocean Spray, King's Plaza and the Tower, which have so graciously and magnanimously supported the championships and perhaps, even made the tournament possible.

Over the last weekend, a former President of the Guyana Chess Federation, Steve Ram, who currently resides in New York, visited the committee and played some games with the juniors. He expressed the view that the standard of play was high in both categories. He also pledged his support for the upliftment of the game in Guyana.

The tournament continues today at the King's Plaza Hotel on Main Street. Persons wishing to become members of the new Guyana Chess Federation which is going to be established shortly after the National Championships are concluded, can visit us at the King's Plaza Hotel today from 10 am. Alternatively, you can call Irshad Mohamed on 664-1650 or Shiv Nandalall on 623-7723.


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Chess Interview: Judit Polgar: 'my goal is to raise my children so that they can be happy, successful '


She is far and away the strongest female chess player that ever lived.

[Note: She has always declined to play in competitions limited to females, which is why she never won the Women's World Championship.]

At times she was in the top ten of the overall world rankings, but in the last three years, due to the birth of two children, has dropped back a little in her preparation and results. But as everyone can see from her recent tournaments this remarkable lady is on the rebound.

Interviewing Judith Polgar [born July 23, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary] implies some kind of caution due to her merits she has achieved. Now she has two children aged three and one, and motherhood is the most important thing for her. She is known for having broken many clichés in a world traditionally ruled by men. She was the first person who achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of fifteen.

[Note: Bobby Fischer was the first, in 1958, when he became history’s youngest grandmaster at the age of 15 years, 6 months, and 1 day. He held the record until 1991, when Polgar broke it. When Fischer became world champion in 1972, before chess ratings “inflation,” there were 88 grandmasters. As of July, 2005, there were more than 900. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_prodigy#List_of_youngest_grandmasters]

Polgar starts playing today in the Champion's League held in Vitoria with the difficult aim of turning the tables with Veselin Topalov as the big favourite.

El Correo: What has led you to compete in the Champion's League Tournament?

Judit Polgar: I received an invitation some months ago and I thought it was very interesting. So far I had never taken part in a tournament which combines both charity and the professional side.

Correo: What are your expectations?

Polgar: I want to play well, and to achieve one of the highest scores.

Correo: What is your situation professionally?

Polgar: Currently I’m ranked number 20 in the world.

[Note: Current Rating: 2708. Highest Rating: 2735. Highest Ranking: No. 8. She is the only woman on FIDE’s Top 100 Players list.]

In the last three years my children, Hanna and Oliver, were born. I had to stop working during my pregnancy, when I gave birth and also after that. All this has led my game through a bad patch, which I’m trying to recover from. It's important to take part in this kind of tournaments so that I can work myself into the top ten again.

Correo: At the end of the 90s you stated that you would rather be happy than a star in the chess world. Do you still think the same?

Polgar: Yes, but I'm aware of the fact that playing chess is part of my happiness too. In the last years I got married and I’ve become a mother. Now I've got a stable life and I'm very happy with it.

Correo: It must not be easy to combine motherhood with such a high level of competition.

Polgar: I'm happy with both and, even if it's difficult to organise personal and professional life, I try to do my best.

Correo: Your father, Lazlo Polgar, an expert teacher, educated his daughters out of the school. He had a particular way of thinking: “Geniuses are made, not born”. Can intelligence be taught?

Polgar: Yes, I believe in what my father said. It's always important to focus on an area of education. In fact, I think it should be a compulsory subject. In Brooklyn they carried out an experiment which consisted in initiating problematic children in chess. As they improved in chess, their marks did too. This is only an example of how much can chess help.

Correo: Can playing chess help solve the everyday problems as Gary Kasparov claims in a book?

Polgar: Yes, I think that playing chess can be a good way of training your mind to face everyday life. Playing chess has many aspects that can be useful in everyday situations like planning, concentration and combinations. You learn to win but also to lose and to be creative.

Correo: Can there be a female chess revolution in this century?

Polgar: Right now the part played by women is changing everywhere. Personally, I wouldn’t look at chess from the female point of view but rather observe the evolution that it has had in every country. India and China are improving by leaps and bounds and it will be their chess players who will lead the revolution of the XXI century.

Correo: What feeling do you get when you are described as the best [female] chess player of all time?

Polgar: I’ve been playing since I was five and I have got used to the big names. It’s something I no longer consider important. It will be something to tell my grandchildren but nothing more.

Correo: Has Judit Polgar ever had any idols?

Polgar: I have never had idols in chess. As time went by I followed some players more than others, some moves, some moments...

Correo: How would you define your game style?

Polgar: I am known to be a very aggressive player, an attacker. It’s more difficult to be one when playing black, but I try to develop that aspect with them too.

Correo: Do you identify yourself with any particular chess piece?

Polgar: The knight is my favourite.

Correo: Are glances in chess really as important as they say?

Polgar: To me, chess is a psychological game and glances are a part of this personal game. But I don’t think they have the importance everybody keeps trying to give them.

Correo: What do you think about the controversy generated during the last years about whether chess is or not a sport?

Polgar: This is a question that has appeared in many countries. One can say that in the last decades chess has become more of a sport than of a science. I see it from an artistic point of view.

Correo: What kind of hobbies does a grandmaster have?

Polgar: I like nature, animals and going to the theatre a lot. But of course now that I have two children I don’t have free time and try to combine my hobbies and my family.

Correo: You have fulfilled many of your goals from getting into the world’s top ten to defeating players like Kasparov. What are your aims now?

Polgar: From a personal point of view, my goal is to raise my children so that they can be happy, successful and take care of themselves in the future. To support them all the way. Whatever they do, their mother will always be there for them. From a professional point of view, now that I have a family I choose the tournaments I play in, why and against who a lot more. I want to play chess while I’m still fascinated by it. The moment I stop having fun, I will quit this.

Translation by Aitziber Elejalde


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Brain power -Susan Polgar

Susan Polgar is profiled in Make Me a Genius on National Geographic Channel.
My Brilliant Brain is a three-part series offering a rich mix of fascinating experiments new to TV. The show, which airs on National Geographic Channel (Astro channel 553), features special effects photography and computer animations based on the latest brain scanning technology.

It examines three groups of genius who answer questions about human intelligence.

Do difference in gender, brain size and brain hemisphere dominance enable these remarkable individuals to excel so far beyond their peers? Or, can education and environment help fuel intelligence and enable anyone to become a prodigy, if given the opportunity?

It features extraordinary characters; scientists embarking on fantastic journeys into the hidden depths of the brain, and people with amazing abilities, whose brains we can learn from.

Woven through these elements, surfacing occasionally when it serves the narrative, are stories of ordinary families on an emotional journey that relates to the brain.

Using computer-generated images, brain scans and expert testimony, My Brilliant Brain unlocks some of the brain's biggest mysteries.

The first part, My Brilliant Brain: Born Genius (Nov 26, 9pm) introduces viewers to Marc Yu, an amazing seven-year-old classical concert pianist whose brain is specifically created for music.

At two years old, Yu taught himself how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano. One year later, he was tackling Beethoven. Yu also has perfect pitch – the ability to identify musical notes as easily as identifying colours – a skill that only one in 10,000 people can claim.

My Brilliant Brain: Make Me a Genius (Dec 3, 9pm) profiles Susan Polgar whose unique education early in childhood shapes a supreme ability to play chess, making her the world's first female chess grand master.

Delving deeper into the minds of savants, My Brilliant Brain: Accidental Genius (Dec 10, 9pm) shares the story of one man who suffered a serious brain injury that released a manic talent for painting that he had never known.


Courtesy -http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/12/tvnradio/19398518&sec=tvnradio


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CHESS NEWS:Ronan Bennett & Daniel King (The Guardian)


Ronan Bennett & Daniel King
Monday November 12, 2007
The Guardian


Chess 12.11.07
White to play and win, Topalov-Adams, San Luis 2005.

DK: Last week Ronan nominated Karlsbad 1907 for our book of the year and, not to be outdone, my second nomination is also a tournament book: San Luis 2005 by Alik Nor and Igor Gershon (Quality Chess, £19.99).

Tournament books have gone out of fashion with publishers, as detailed news and commentary of the latest events are instantly available on the internet. So why produce - and why buy - a book such as San Luis 2005? First, because of its historical significance: this eight-player tournament was the first step towards reuniting the two separate world titles. Second, because of the diligence of the authors in annotating and explaining the games - all 56 of them.


San Luis 2005 provides a snapshot of professional chess in 2005. The contrast with 1907 is startling. The world champion at that time, Emanuel Lasker, was an esteemed academic and chess was for him a glorified hobby. Nowadays, to have an amateur as world champion would be unimaginable. The amount of time needed to study the game, in particular the openings, cannot be underestimated. Without the constant search for new ideas away from the board a professional will not survive at the highest levels. Therefore it is appropriate that the authors put such effort into explaining the opening theory in each game. Read this and you will be bang up to date with the hottest lines of the Marshall Attack and the Najdorf Sicilian. The deep variations continue throughout the games, and at times one wishes that a little less computer analysis had been included. However, this too is a reflection of the modern game where computer programmes are routinely used to divine the mysteries of a position.

The Bulgarian, Veselin Topalov, was the deserved, if somewhat surprising, winner of the tournament. Since San Luis he has been dogged by allegations that he received computer assistance during the games - which the authors rightly debunk. Topalov won because of his excellent opening preparation and, above all, his willingness to take risks.

Here, he finished decisively with 36 Bf5 Rxf5 37 Rxc8+ Kh7 38 Rh1, and Adams resigned. Once queens are traded White wins easily. Don't forget to send in your nominations for book of the year to chess@guardian.co.uk.


Sunday, November 11, 2007

34th Women’s National A Chess Championship of India

5 Share lead after round 7

7 rounds gone in the Women’s National A and the the tournament is yet to find a sole leader in any of those. This speaks of the strength of this edition of the 34th Women’s National A Chess Championship organised by Symbiosis Spa Chess School at Symbiosis Center for Health Care Campus, Range Hills Road, Kirkee, Pune.

IM Dronavalli Harika played in an attacking mode right from the beginning against WIM Kiran Monisha Mohanty but yet could not win. When she gave up a pawn in the middle game it almost seemed like a ‘déjà vu’ of the first round where both players had castled on opposite sides. It seemed the same would repeat today but Kiran managed to hold a draw.

Leaders: Harika Dronavalli , Kiran Mohanty , Swati Ghate, Tania Sachdev, Mary Ann Gomes


Results-: round 7

Harika Dronavalli 5 drew with Kiran Mohanty 5;

Swati Ghate 5 drew with Tania Sachdev 5;

Ramaswamy Aarthie 4 lost to Mary Ann Gomes 5;

Soumya Swaminathan 4.5 drew with Nisha Mohota 4;

P Priya 4.5 beat Eesha Karavade 3.5;

Amruta Mokal 4 beat Padmini Rout 3;

Sai Meera 3 lost to Pon. Krithika 4;

S Harini 3 lost to Nimmy George;

Anuprita Patil 3.5 drew with S Nabeela Farheen 3.5;

Rucha Pujari 3 drew with Divyasri Ch 3.5;

R Preethi 2.5 drew with S Athirai 2.5;

Swati Mohota 3 beat M R Sangeetha 2;

Baisakhi Das 1 lost to P Uthra 3;

Dhyani Dave 2.5 drew with C H Savetha 1.5




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Rank SNo.
Name Rtg FED Pts BH. RtgØ
1 3 WGM Tania Sachdev 2413 IND 5 26½ 2289
2 6 WGM Swathi Ghate 2316 IND 5 26 2240
3 1 IM Harika Dronavalli 2480 IND 5 25 2269
4 7 WIM Kiran Manisha Mohanty 2263 IND 5 24½ 2278
5 8 WIM Gomes Mary Ann 2262 IND 5 24 2200
6 9 WIM Soumya Swaminathan 2244 IND 23½ 2218
7 15
Priya P 2129 IND 23 2203
8 5 WGM Ramaswamy Aarthie 2317 IND 4 26 2260
9 2 WGM Mohota Nisha 2416 IND 4 24½ 2221
10 14 WFM Pon N Krithika 2140 IND 4 24 2174
11 12
Nimmy A G 2196 IND 4 23½ 2170
12 13
Amrutha Mokal 2159 IND 4 23½ 2151
13 4 WGM Karavade Eesha 2331 IND 28 2294
14 22
Anuprita Patil 2060 IND 25 2209
15 20
Syed Nabeela Farheen 2093 IND 21 2140
16 25
Divyasri Ch 2050 IND 18½ 2103
17 11 WFM Meera Sai 2205 IND 3 28 2275
18 10
Padmini Rout 2226 IND 3 23 2181
19 23
Harini S 2060 IND 3 22 2145
20 21 WFM Pujari Rucha 2061 IND 3 21 2114
21 18
Swati Mohota 2112 IND 3 19 2094
22 24
Uthra P 2055 IND 3 15 2066
23 16
Preethi R 2125 IND 19½ 2114
24 26 WFM Dave Dhyani 2002 IND 19 2107
25 27
Athirai S 2000 IND 17½ 2088
26 17
Sangeetha M R 2118 IND 2 21 2144
27 28
Savetha C H 1968 IND 18 2067
28 19
Baisakhi Das 2101 IND 1 18 2090

Tal Memorial Moscow - Round 1

The Tal Memorial Tournament takes place in Moscow 9th-19th November 2007.

Official site: http://www.russiachess.org/


All the games are went to draw except Leko and Shirov game.

Leko,P vs. Shirov,A




Lékó, Peter - Shirov, Alexei 1-0


Alekseev, Evgeny - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½


Jakovenko, Dmitry - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½


Kamsky, Gata - Gelfand, Boris ½-½


Kramnik, Vladimir - Carlsen, Magnus ½-½


Champions League Chess Tournament, - Round 7

Karpov,Ana vs. Polgar,Ju


Chess Champions League Vitoria Gasteiz ESP (7), 10.11.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Qc2 Nc6 8.e4 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.e5 Ne4 11.0-0 Nb4 12.Qb1 c5 13.Be3 Qd7 14.Rd1 Rad8 15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.a3 Nba6 17.b4 Ne6 18.Ra2 Nac7 19.Rad2 Rfe8 20.Qb3 Qc8 21.Nd4 Bf8 22.f4 g6 23.h4 Ng7 24.Bf2 Qa8 25.Ndb5 Nxb5 26.Nxb5 Ne6 27.Bxd5 Rxd5 28.Rxd5 Bxd5 29.Qxd5 Qb8 30.Qe4 Qc8 31.Rd3 Qc2 32.Re3 Qc1+ 33.Kg2 Rd8 34.Nxa7 Rd2 35.Nb5 Qb2 36.Qf3 Qc2 37.Rc3 Qa2 38.Kf1 Qb1+ 39.Be1 Nc5 40.Qe3 Rh2

Karpov has been piling up the pressure on Judit Polgar's Queen's Indian, and is two pawns up. Judit has been seeking compensation with counterplay on White's second rank, but is still in quite a lot of trouble. Now comes the fatal mistake: 41.Rc1?? How long does it take you to find the refutation that led to Karpov's resignation two moves later? This game goes to show that even in a bad or lost position it is always important it is to give your opponent a fair chance to chance to mess things up.

Judit Polgar won her game against Karpov with the move 41...Qb2!, which threatens 42...Qg2 mate. White cannot abandon the defence of the rook on c1 with 42.Qf3. Karpov tried his luck with 42.Bf2, but Superwomen had it all figured out: 42...Ne4 43.Kg1 Nxf2 0-1.

USSR vs Yugoslavia 2007

11.11.2007 – Now hang on, we hear you say, the two nation states have long ceased to exist? But this week organisers in Moscow rolled back the clock and staged a match in the tradition of the famous friends-and-rivals encounters of the 1950s-80s. The teams consisted of veteran players who had taken part in the matches during the heyday of the Soviet era. Illustrated report.

Friends and rivals

Collectors of Soviet chess literature will probably be familiar with the book "Druzya i soperniki" ("Friends and rivals"), which deals with the history of the USSR-Yugoslavia chess matches. Throughout the 1950s to 1980s, these annual matches were one of the most impressive events of the international chess calendar, and produced some great chess.

Over the past 15 or so years, both the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have ceased to exist as nation states, but this week in Moscow, an attempt was made to roll back the clock. The Russian capital played host to a two-round USSR-Yugoslavia match, involving teams of veteran players, all of whom had taken part in the matches during the heyday of the Soviet era.

The "USSR" team was led by Victor Korchnoi, now a Swiss citizen, but restored to "honorary" Soviet citizenship for the two days of this match. Opposing him on board one was Svetozar Gligorić, who had lead the Yugoslav team with success on so many former occasions. The ten-board teams included Taimanov, Averbakh, Vasyukov and Balashov on the USSR side, and Ivkov, Matanovic, Velimirovic and Karaklaic for Yugoslavia. The full results were as follows:

1st Round, 08.11.2007
2nd Round, 09.11.2007
Yugoslavia
USSR
S. Gligorić
0-1
V. Kortchnoi
B. Ivkov
1/2
E. Vasiukov
A. Matanovic
1/2
M. Taimanov
D. Velimirovic
1-0
Y. Balashov
N. Karaklaic
1/2
I. Zaitsev
S. Vlahovic
1/2
Y. Averbakh
Z. Spasojevic
1/2
V. Vorotnikov
A. Savic
1/2
A. Machulsky
M. Lazarevic
0-1
E. Fatalibekova
K. Blagojevic
0-1
L. Zaitseva
Total:
4-6
Yugoslavia
USSR
V. Kortchnoi
1/2 S. Gligorić
E. Vasiukov
1/2 B. Ivkov
M. Taimanov
1/2 A. Matanovic
Y. Balashov
1/2 D. Velimirovic
I. Zaitsev
1/2 N. Karaklaic
Y. Averbakh
0-1 S. Vlahovic
V. Vorotnikov
1-0 Z. Spasojevic
A. Machulsky
1/2 A. Savic
E. Fatalibekova
1/2

M. Lazarevic

L. Zaitseva
1/2 K. Blagojevic
Total:
5-5
Final result: Yugoslavia 9, USSR 11

Gligoric,S (2447) - Korchnoi,V (2611) [E41]
USSR vs Yugoslavia m Moscow RUS (1), 08.11.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 Qc7 8.Qd3 a6 9.a3 cxd4 10.exd4 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Nbd7 12.0-0 0-0 13.Be2 Qd6 14.Ne5 Nd5 15.Qg3 f6 16.Bh6 Qe7 17.Nc4 b5 18.Nd6 Kh8 19.Bd2 N7b6 20.Rfe1 Rd8 21.Nxc8 Raxc8 22.Bd3 g6 23.Qh3 f5 24.Qg3 Qd6 25.Qh4 Nc4 26.Bg5 Nxb2 27.Bxd8 Nxd3 28.Bf6+ Kg8 29.Be5 Qf8 30.Red1 Rc3 31.h3 h6 32.Ra2 g5 33.Qg3 Nc1 34.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 35.Kh2 Qc8 36.Qf3 Qe8 37.Qd3 Rc3 38.Qd1 Kh7 39.Rc2 Kg6 40.Rxc3 Nxc3 41.Qc2 Nd5 42.Qc5 Nf6 43.Qb6 Qc8 44.Qd6 Ng8 45.g4 fxg4 46.hxg4 Kf7 47.Qb4 Nf6 48.Qb3 Nxg4+ 49.Kg3

Black is two pawns up and clearly on the road to victory. However his next move is a mistake: 49...Qc4? This allows the queen fork 50.Qf3, turning the tables and winning White a piece and the game. However Gligorić misses the chance: 50.Qb2? and now Black has easy play to take the full point: 50...h5 51.f3 Qd3 52.Qc1 Nxe5 53.dxe5 g4 54.Qf4+ Qf5 0-1.


Korchnoi vs Gligorić after White's 42nd move

After the game 76-year-old Viktor Korchnoi said to 84-year-old Svetozar Gligorić: "You are stronger now than you were fifty years ago!" Gligorić was uncertain whether this was a compliment or not.