Today's pairings: Anand-Adams, Polgar-Kasimdzhanov, Svidler-Leko, Morozevich-Topalov. Anand and Topalov still lead with +1, Leko and Polgar trail on -1.
Round two again stirred up the anger of the computer-addicted twits out there who wouldn't recognize a good game if it bit them in their silicon ass implants.
September 2005 Archives
Today we have Topalov - Anand, a key battle between the early leaders and pre-tournament favorites. If Topalov starts the event with wins over Leko and Anand he becomes a huge favorite.
FIDE has hastily changed the dates for their recently announced World Cup KO tournament. Now it's Nov. 26-Dec. 17, having been moved up a week so as not to clash with the Russian championship final. It's not nice to mess...
Got the first round pairings right here, baby! Get'em while they're hot. Kasimdzhanov-Morozevich, Polgar-Anand, Leko-Topalov, Svidler-Adams. Games start at 2pm EST, 6pm GMT, 3pm Argentine time.
Forget having Kramnik play in San Luis and let Vassily Ivanchuk in instead. The Chuckster has his rating up to 2752 and looks set to add a pile more points.
Continue reading Let Chucky In!.
In a Sport Express interview, FIDE prez Kirsan Ilyumzhinov acknowledged that FIDE might allow the San Luis winner to play a unification match against classical champion Vladimir Kramnik.
Veselin Topalov was first to arrive in San Luis, Argentina for the 2005 FIDE world championship tournament, two days ago. Yesterday Peter Leko and Rustam Kasimdzhanov showed up at the airport, met by governor Saa and some of his cabinet members.
FIDE has announced the sponsorship of its 2005 KO World Cup tournament, the first stage of the new world championship cycle. ChessBase has a handy report that includes maps and the full press release.
The powerful Euro Club Cup is underway in Saint Vincent (Aosta), Italy. It seems most of the world's top hundred players are in action. The elite are represented by Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Grischuk, Bacrot, and Gelfand, among others.
Anatoly Karpov is on a tour of Argentina (Spanish) in the run-up to the FIDE world championship in San Luis. The typically error-ridden local news reports don't agree on whether or not he'll show up in San Luis.
Just the latest entry in the eternal - and eternally fruitless - debate about whether or not chess is a sport. (Of course it just depends on how you define the word "sport," which we can skip.) Actually, this one is about competitive video games, a category in which chess also fits these days.
An overdue and controversial redesign of legendary Washington Square Park in New York City includes news for the famous chess corner.
The Lausanne Young Masters is underway in Switzerland. It's a KO again this year and the first games of the second round are already in the books.
He's already leaving the Golden State, headed for a week of politicking in the far east of Russia. Kasparov spent a one-day visit in San Francisco, across the Bay from my hometown.
Colorado news sources are full of reports about chess author and coach Robert Snyder being held on charges of sexual assault against two "boys between the ages of 11 and 13." [Umm, 12?]
And the sweatshirt, mousepad, tote bag, and thong.
1993 world championship challenger Nigel Short has started a new column at The Guardian newspaper, also the home of Leonard Barden and Jonathan Speelman, a formidable chess setion, mentioned here before.
FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has issued the letter you'll find below. It's a mini state of the union address with more spin than content.
Continue reading Missive from FIDE.
Top seed Evgeny Bareev won the 2005Russian championship qualifier ahead of Alexander Khalifman on formula tiebreaks after they both finished with 6.5/9.
The 13th World Computer Championship was held last month in Iceland, but you might easily have missed it. Despite a great deal of organizational effort and a fine official site, news coverage was sparse.
Sourcing is thin, but one report says that Will Smith - known to my generation as the Fresh Prince and not the Men In Black guy - will star in the Disney film adaptation of the Salome Thomas-EL book/story "I Choose to Stay."
The mighty qualifier for the Russian Championship super-final is getting underway. The sites are in Russian, be news and games will trickle out to ChessBase and TWIC, and some helpful Russian readers always post here and in the message boards.
Whether or not chess is permissable under Islam has gone around many times, including in the mainstream press.
Continue reading Chess Takes It Up the Sistani.
