Fide Rankings July 2008 : Anand on Top and big suprise Carlsen on sixth !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite sliding five points, World Champion Viswanathan Anand continued to reign supreme in the latest world rankings issued by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Magnus Carlsen is only sixth on the official FIDE list, although up-to-date rating calculations put him on a history-making second place. The media (and chess fans) assumed that would be his place on the FIDE list, but a missed deadline thwarted that. Alexander Morozevich is second Vassily Ivanchuk third. Here are the FIDE and the Live Rating lists.

Anand is followed by Russian Alexander Morozevich and his upcoming world championship match contender compatriot Vladimir Kramnik, both just 10 ELO points adrift of the Indian at ELO 2788.

Another up-and-comer is roller coaster Vassily Ivanchuk, who gained 41 points (in words: forty would you believe it one) from 25 games to jump from place 11 to place 4, four points ahead of number five, Veselin Topalov, who gained ten points from ten games.

Next in line is Magnus Carlsen, who just turned 17½ and, as everyone knows, is de facto number two in the world. Magnus won the Aerosvit tournament in Foros with a stunning 2877 performance, but the tournament ended four days after a deadline set by FIDE for submission of tournaments for the rating list (the 15th of the previous month). So Magnus has landed on place six, two points behind Topalov. Fortunately we now have a "Live List" which give accurate, up-to-the-minute ratings for players over 2700.

Links :

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4738

http://ratings.fide.com/toplist.phtml

http://chess.liverating.org/

Notable Changes

The list above includes all relevant events played. In the top of the list, we see that Morozevich has caught up with Kramnik, who hasn't played any games in this rating period. The reason for Morozevich being ranked ahead of Kramnik despite them having the exact same rating, is FIDE's tie-break criteria, which is number of games played. Moro won the big majority of his 14 point gain by winning Bosna Sarajevo in style, while snatching the final points needed in the Bosnia Herzegovina league competition. Ivanchuk has made a huge leap upwards after several strong events, mainly his break-out win in MTel, with a TPR of 2977 after an undefeated 8/10. The same event was miserable for Aronian, who ended up dropping out of top 10 for the first since time since April 2005. Topalov and Carlsen gained around 10 points each, but both were pushed one place down due to Ivanchuk's big leap.

In the lower half of the list, we can welcome several players to the 2700 club, most of them for the first time: Since the April list, Movsesian (2723), Gashimov (2717), Eljanov (2716), Dominguez (2708), Milov (2705) and Wang Yue (2704) have crossed the somewhat less magical 2700-border - the lesser magic explained by a record-breaking 29 players above 2700.

Koneru Humpy : Chess Player profile

Humpy Koneru (born 31 March 1987 in Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh) is a chess grandmaster from India. Her October 2007 FIDE Elo rating was 2606, placing her at number two in the world for women (behind Judit Polgar), breaking the record of 2577 set by Susan Polgar for the second-highest ranked female player in Chess history and becoming the second female player ever, after Judit Polgar, to cross the 2600 elo mark.

Humpy was originally named Hampi by her parents but her father later changed it to Humpy, a more Russian-sounding name. She writes her family name (Koneru) before her given name.

Humpy holds the record for the youngest woman ever to become a grandmaster (not merely a Woman Grandmaster), which she achieved in 15 years, 1 month, 27 days, beating Judit Polgar's previous record by 3 months.

In 2001 she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship. In 2006 she participated in the Women's World Chess Championship, but was eliminated in the second round.

Humpy's Achievements:

• World under-14 championship, 2001, Castellan, Spain.
• Asia's youngest International Woman Master, 1999.
• India's youngest Woman GM, 2001.
• World junior championship, 2001, Athens.
• In 2002, Koneru Humpy become the first woman chess player from India to receive the Men's Grandmaster title.
• At 15 years, one month and 27 days, Koneru also became the world's youngest Women Grandmaster to achieve full Grandmaster status, beating the record of her idol Judith Polgar, who achieved the feat at 15 years, four months and 27 days.
• As of July, 2006, Humpy is world number 2 in women's rankings with an Elo score of 2545.

June 1st, 2002 INDIA CHESS DIARY By V Krishnaswamy, New Delhi ONLY TECHNICAL AND BUREAUCRATIC DETAILS REMAIN

Only technical and bureaucratic details remain between Humpy and a decade-old landmark set by Judit Polgar, which crumbled last week. In some ways that landmark, which had bestowed upon Judit the honour of being the youngest woman to complete a Grandmaster title in men's section, was quite appropriately overtaken in the Polgar homeland, in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, where Judit lives.

Taking over that mantle is Koneru Humpy, a shy teenager from India's little-known district of Gudivada near Vijaywada, in Andhra Pradesh. At the Elekes memorial 12-round tournament, Humpy earned her third and final GM norm with a score of 7.5 out in the first 11 rounds. The average rating of her opponents in the first 11 rounds was 2437. On the day Humpy achieved her third Men's GM Norm, she was exactly, 15 years, 1 Month, and 27 days, which bettered Judit Polgar's record of 15 years, 4 months and 27 days.

Chess players, more than other commoners in life, know how technical hurdles are sometimes more difficult to surmount than on-board problems. The latest to discover this could be India's teenaged chess star.

Technical details and bureaucracy are two phrases purists love to hate. And with enough reason. Even as Humpy was re-writing the record books, there were enough critics pointing out to her current rating of 2486. This young holder of four world title in various age categories, is now being stymied by those who claim that she still has one more requirement to complete before being conferred the GM title – that of getting her Elo rating to 2500, which is one of the stipulations of a GM title being conferred upon a player.

Analysts agree that the next rating list, which will be released in July 2002, will see her breach that mark, too. But now the debate is whether she should right away be considered the youngest woman to become a GM in men's section, or should we wait till the FIDE confirms her rating as 2500-plus. The next rating list is due out on July 1, 2002 and the one after that on October 1, 2002. The question is now, in case Koneru Humpy falls a little short, and is say on 2495 or 2498, on July 1, 2002, will she be disallowed the record. If that is the case, that will really be a pity.

As things stand, if Koneru Humpy's rating is 2500 or over before August 26, 2002 the record is hers.

Humpy's third and final GM norm with 7.5 points from the first 11 rounds of the 12-round tournament. The average rating of the tournament was 2437, and it is expected she will gain some vital Elo points.

In the next few days Humpy is also due to play another GM level tournament in June itself and hopefully that event as well as the Elekes memorial where she won her final GM norm will lift her above 2500 and set to rest all debates.

Pictures from the Koneru Humpy album: as a child top left with her father, on a plane to
the under 10 world championship, at the boys' under 14, with the World Junior Trophy
in 2001, After winning the World U14 in Dortmund (bottom centre and right).

PROFILE OF A CHAMPION

BY V KRISHNASWAMY

SOON AFTER a daughter was born to Koneru Ashok and Latha on March 31, 1987, the father decided his daughter was special. The young one was named Hampi, derived from the word "Champion". Sometime later, Ashok changed that to Humpy, because he felt that sounded a little Russian (!) and his daughter would be a champion in that sport. How true.

A fast and attacking player, Humpy has often dominated the events she has won in India. A good positional player, she has a good finish and she rarely misses a winning ending.

But what is even more outstanding is that she possesses a record at world championships, which even Anand does not have. She is the first, and so far the only, Indian to win four World Championships, having picked a title each in Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 and the World Juniors (Under-20) age groups. In between she also won a silver medal in Under-12 section.

Born in 1987, Humpy took to chess at the age of six in 1993. Coached by her father, Ashok Koneru, she picked up the finer points in very little time and won the first tournament she played at Vijayawada in 1994. More followed in the next few years.

Humpy in 1997 won her first world title the U-10 World title in Cannes. To that she added the World U-12 title in Oropesa del Mar in Spain in October-November 1998, when the curly haired Andhra girl notched up nine wins, one loss and one draw. The lone draw came against teammate Tania Sachdeva, who finished third. In 1999 Humpy missed out on what would have become an unique record. Starting out as the defending champion in the Under-12 section, she finished second behind Georgian Nana Dzagnidze.

In 1999, Humpy showed her fondness for Ahmedabad as a venue, where she created history, by becoming the first Indian woman player to win a National Boys title. She won the Under 14 Boys title in the National Children Chess Championship for the year 2000 at the Karnavati Club.

Interestingly, in 1998 in December, Humpy had won the Asian sub junior boys (under-12) title at the same venue. That was the first time a girl had won an international boys event since Judit Polgar of Hungary had done that in 1989. A year later in 2000, she paid back Georgian Dzagnidze in the same coin and beat her to the title in the World Under-14 title in Spain.

INDIA - Year End Chess 2007 profile

Mixed bag For Indian Chess





Even as Viswanathan Anand continued to strive harder to take his game to the next level, most of the other Indian names did not have a great year.

Twenty years ago, a teenager by the name of Viswanathan Anand redefined excellence for Indian chess players. He combined speed with skill, imaginative ideas with intuition and reeled off results that did not go unnoticed by some of the best brains in the game. With the passage of time, his phenomenally consistent performances put him among the elite of this cerebral sport. His tireless work paid off this year and realised two of his long cherished goals. He captured the Wo rld number spot in April and went on to regain the World title, which he won in 2000.

Seldom has an individual made such a lasting impact on the future of any sporting discipline in India. His talent apart, what caught the nation’s imagination was his pleasing ways. His smile, wit and the ability to simplify the complexities of the game made him an instant hit. From becoming the World junior champion in August 1987 to becoming the game’s latest World Champion in September 2007, Anand has contributed more than any other Indian sportsperson for his or her chosen discipline.

He became the country’s first Grandmaster in December 1987 and since then only 16 more have joined the list, including two in the last two months. Interestingly, the last three Grandmasters — Parimarjan Negi, G. N. Gopal and Abhijeet Gupta — were born after Anand founded the country’s ‘GM Club’.

“I don’t want to leave behind some kind of legacy. I don’t think about it. I still have some more chess left in me,” is the reply from Anand when one touches the subject of his contribution to Indian chess or how he would like to be remembered. Indeed, Anand has kept his sights firmly on his goals and achieved them like few others in the world of sports. Delightfully, he has not finished yet.

Anand did have a glorious year during which he added the prestigious Moralia-Linares title in March and the rapid title in Monaco. He went on to retain rapid titles at Leon and Mainz. He has won the Chess Classic title 10 times including all the seven occasions since the event moved from Frankfurt to Mainz. In November, Anand braved indifferent health to finish runner-up to champion Vassily Ivanchuk in the World blitz championship in Moscow. Interestingly, Ivanchuk was considered the favourite when Anand won the world junior title in 1987. What more, Anand and Ivanchuk finished the year 2007 as the top two ranked players in the game. Surely, the duo, along with World Cup champion Gata Kamsky, showed that experience still was a handy weapon against the exuberance of youth.

Even as Anand continued to strive harder to take his game to the next level, most of the other Indian names did not have a great year. K. Sasikiran had his moments in the premier Mtel Masters where he let go of a golden opportunity to win the title ahead of the eventual winner, the 2005 World Champion, Veselin Topalov. Again, in the World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk, in Russia, Sasikiran moved to the last-16 stage. He did pick up three gold medals from the Asian Indoor Games where the Indians gave an impressive performance.

Surya Shekhar Ganguly won the Asian zonal title where the Indian entries formed a major part of the field. Otherwise, it wasn’t a happy year for Ganguly who again failed to breach the 2600-point mark. For P. Hari Krishna, it was a forgettable year during which he could take heart from his third place finish in the Montreal International. Even the Arjuna Award did not please him much since it came a wee bit late considering his consistent showings in the past years. His Andhra-mate K. Humpy did well to win two back-to-back events in the middle of the year and went on to cross the 2600-point mark in ratings. She also added an individual blitz gold from Macau.

Another Andhra girl, D. Harika won the Asian zonal title, collected five medals, including two gold, in Macau and went on to retain her Commonwealth title. R. B. Ramesh became the Commonwealth champion as the Indians expectedly dominated the event in New Delhi. Earlier in the year, S. Vijayalakshmi attained her third and final GM norm on way to the Curto Open title.

One of the finest moments for Indian chess this year came when National champion Tania Sachdev won the Asian ladies title in Teheran. Since she had picked up a GM norm earlier in the year, she was eligible to become an International Master from the 20-game IM norm that came her way on winning the Asian title. What more, she returned from Macau and retained her National title before picking up the silver medal for the ladies in the Commonwealth championship.

Among the men, Abhijit Kunte came third in the Asian championship while Gopal finished in the top-10 to qualify for the World Cup. Gopal gave an excellent account of himself by holding the former World champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov four times before surrendering in the blitz games in the World Cup opener.

Usually, the Indian age-group challenge is considered a formidable one at the World and Asian levels. The trend continued this year but not in the same way as last year. Ivana Furtado retained her World under-8 title but the Indians failed to hold on to four other world titles won in 2006. B. Adhiban won the Asian under-16 title to become the nation’s youngest International Master in July. The Indian boys claimed the World Youth (under-16) Olympiad in Singapore where leading nations like Russia, Armenia, Ukraine and China were missing from the line-up. In the Asian youth championship, India won 10 medals including five titles. The winners were Ivana Furtado (girls’ under-8), G. V. Revanth Reddy (boys’ under-8), Shardul Gagare (boys’ under-10), B. Pratyusha (girls’ under-10) and Priyanka Kumari (girls’ under-12).

Looking back, Anand and Ivana ended the year as world champions at the highest and the youngest levels of the game. The number of GMs increased but most members of this select group failed to show much motivation to move to the next level. The youngsters looked good but unless there is organised coaching in place in the country, they will not be able to reach their goals. With Anand atop the world rankings, it remains to be seen how the All India Chess Federation manages to bring in the much needed corporate patronage for the game in the country. Sadly, the Indians got only two norm-making opportunities this year in New Delhi. The need of the hour is to provide systematic and quality training for the talented youngsters besides many more opportunities at home to attain norms leading to the GM, IM, Woman GM and Woman IM titles.

Most chess champions in India remain products of the sacrifices made by their parents and individual coaches. Sadly, in that respect, not much has changed since Anand put India on the world chess map 20 years ago.

Courtesy Hindu @ http://www.sportstaronnet.com/stories/20071229500600700.htm