With 9 of 11 rounds played in the Continental Championship in Colombia, two Americans lead with impressive seven-point scores. Alexander Ivanov and Var Akobian have already played a quick draw against each other, so their pursuers will get a chance to take them down in round 10. But many of the players at the top will be happy with draws if they estimate their scores are enough to finish among the top seven who qualify to the World Cup. Right now there are eight players in the pack at 6.5. That includes everyone's favorite teenage runaway for love, Peru's Emilio Cordova. Another teen, Mexico's Manuel Leon Hoyos, is also there. Perhaps his impromptu seconding of Ivanchuk at Linares has given him a push. (For completism, and though I have nothing to say about him, Venezuela's Eduardo Iturrizaga is another teen in the 6.5 pack.) 12-year-old Jorge Cori of Peru has six. He beat GM Zapata in round eight.
Let's just hope there isn't a massive tiebreak for those World Cup spots again. Last time it was a blitz event in the wee hours and a total mess.
iturrizaga already has 3 GM norms, even thought his rating is only 2411... in fact, his rating is raising list after list...
Hurrah, FIDE once again changed the rules. This time, the decided to go back to the KO knockout system for the World-Cup this year...
http://www.fide.com/official/handbook.asp?level=DD106
It's a pity. The previous World Cup format sounded much more interesting to me...
Wow! Alex Ivanov is having his best event in quite a while. I hope that he can keep it together in the last round. He's at +5 after the 10th Round, so a final round draw would clinch a slot in the World Cup. Akobian is also =1st (along with Granda Zuniga and Lima--ironicallu, Lima is not from Peru, but Granda is!), but that is less surprising. Ivanov and Akobian both drew in round 10, allowing Granda and Lima to join them at 7.5/10.
Kudrin has a decent chance to qualify, but if he doesn't win his final game, he'll have to make his way through the tie-breaks!
It would take a bit of a miracle for Dmitry Gurevich, Jaan Ehlvest (Top Seed in the event) or Boris Gulko to qualify: they are all at 6.5.
Gurevich could only draw with FM Jorge Cori in Round 10. Manuel Leon Hoyos lost to Granda, but IMs Eduardo Iturrizaga and Emilio Cordova drew each other to stay in the + 4 pack.
Of note:
52 Beltran Carlos COL 2272 5.0
seems to be a real double threat, and manages to play chess even while starring with the New York Mets...
POSICIONES DESPUÉS DE LA RONDA 10
TIT NOMBRE FED RTG PTS
1 GM Granda Zuiga Julio PER 2621 7.5
GM Akobian Varuzhan USA 2570 7.5
GM Ivanov Alexander USA 2547 7.5
GM Lima Darcy BRA 2463 7.5
5 GM Vescovi Geovanni BRA 2609 7.0
GM Kudrin Sergey USA 2543 7.0
IM Cordova Emilio PER 2492 7.0
IM Lafuente Pablo ARG 2454 7.0
9 IM Iturrizaga Eduardo VEN 2411 7.0
10 IM Leon Hoyos Manuel MEX 2484 6.5
GM Spraggett Kevin CAN 2585 6.5
GM Felgaer Ruben ARG 2559 6.5
GM Gurevich Dmitry USA 2507 6.5
IM Matsuura Everaldo BRA 2505 6.5
IM Prasca Raphael VEN 2426 6.5
GM Ehlvest Jaan USA 2629 6.5
GM Peralta Fernando ARG 2546 6.5
IM Mekhitarian Krikor Sevag BRA 2420 6.5
IM Barrientos Sergio COL 2417 6.5
FM Cori Jorge PER 2267 6.5
GM Gulko Boris USA 2576 6.5
22 IM Ibarra Chami Luis Fernando MEX 2386 6.5
This might be an old one but I just heard it. Made me laugh. So with no particular context....
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. - Emo Philips
Speaking of computers, word out of Alberta is that checkers has been solved. Perfect play is a draw.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3394382&page=1
They boast that Chinook beat the world champion in 1994. What they don't mention is that Dr. Tinsley was terminal with pancreatic cancer and abandoned the match.
The article on the NY Times is more revealing.
Actually they don't claim to have solved that type of checkers, but claim to be unbeatable at it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/20/science/20checkers.html?ref=science
Mig! Ivanchuk is in Montreal playing in the TIM. I'm going there to watch the games. He plays Charbonneau tonight. Many good GMs are there (Short, Kamsky, etc.) and also many GMs are playing in the Quebec Open. You have to talk about this.
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/07/8th_montreal_empresa_tournament.htm
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/07/checkered_past.htm
Thanks Mig! By the time I wrote my post you wrote about the montreal empressa! You are pretty fast.