quinta-feira, 31 de dezembro de 2009

André Diamante é o mais novo talento do xadrez brasileiro

Retirado do R7.

Assista à matéria da TV Record com o GM e ex-campeão brasileiro André Diamant. A reportagem é de Adriana Bittar, do programa Esporte Fantástico. André Diamante campeão brasileiro de xadrez, foi para a rua enfrentar desafio de xadrez na cidade.

Assista em: http://videos.r7.com/andre-diamante-e-o-mais-novo-talento-do-xadrez-brasileiro/idmedia/f731ec40a17e609c8e0a5112816bfc24.html

Your judgement, please - Pt. 37

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

The pawn roller
31.12.2009 – After the final rounds of the Russian Championship, our endgames expert Karsten Müller casts an eye back at the remarkable and extremely original endgame Timofeev-Khismatullin from round five. The position in the diagram arose after 50.bxa5, after which the two black rooks had to take up the fight against four linked passed pawns and a knight – and it turned out to be hopeless for them.

Karsten Müller shows you for CBM Online how this unusual position came about and how the game ended.

Position after 50.bxa5

terça-feira, 29 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 36

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Both kings threatened by discovered check...
28.12.2009 – ... was the situation in this recent game from the German Bundesliga, where White to play had to calculate the consequences of 27.Rf7-f4+. How would you assess the position after that (diagram)?
A) White is better;
B) the position is balanced;
C) Black has the advantage.

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Position after 27.Rf7-f4+
A) White is better;
B) the position is balanced;
C) Black has the advantage.

domingo, 27 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 35

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

To exchange or not to exchange?
26.12.2009 – Correct evaluation of pawn endings is an important pillar of good endgame technique. So, e.g., in the following position Black had to come to a judgment as to whether, after the exchange of rooks with 47...Rxe2 48.Kxe2, the ensuing pawn ending is a draw. Otherwise, he would be obliged to do without the exchange and to defend the rook ending.
What do you think? Does the exchange of rooks lead to a drawn position?

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Does 47...Rxe2 48.Kxe2 lead to a drawn position?

quarta-feira, 23 de dezembro de 2009

Falsa especulação acerca de Magnus Carlsen treinar Anand para o Mundial

Corrigindo a notícia anterior publicada neste blog, o pessoal do site Chessbase.com cometeu um engano no entendimento da reportagem do jornal indiano. Abaixo a mais nova notícia:

Speculation about Carlsen being Anand's second
23.12.2009 – An article in the Indian newspaper The Telegraph set off a flurry of excitement in news pages and chess blogs. "Magnus Carlsen will be one of my seconds [in Sofia]," World Champion Vishy Anand was quoted as saying. A misunderstanding, since Magnus, who is a great friend and will surely root for Anand, will not be assisting him in at the 2010 World Championship. Details.

The passage in the Telegraph interview that caused all the confusion reads as follows:

Whether Surya Sekhar Ganguly will be his one of his seconds this time too

[Anand]: He may be. I am not sure. Seconds are a very secretive thing. Even if I tell you that he will be one of my seconds, the rival camp will not believe me. But one thing is for sure, Magnus Carlsen (the world No. 2) will be one of the seconds.

[Late in the evening, Surya told The Telegraph that he did have a talk with Anand in the afternoon, but nothing has been finalised. “It will take some time,” he said.]

Due to time difference and social engagements we were not able to reach Anand, who is currently in India, on Wednesday evening, when the news hit the blogs. A likely explanation – which we shall confirm or correct on Thursday – for the above passage is that Anand said "Nielsen", referring to his second of many years, Peter Heine Nielsen. The journalist, whose ears have been ringing in the past few weeks with one Skandinavial "-sen" name, remembered "Carlsen", googled it and came up with the above story.

We were able to contact Magnus' father Henrik Carlsen, who like us is a creature of the night. He confirmed that his son, who has been good friends with Anand for a number of years now, and has in fact worked with him in the past, now has his own plans and schedule. These do not include working for or with Anand for his World Championship match in Sofia.

More details to follow later...

Magnus Carlsen será o treinador de Vishy Anand para o Mundial!

Quem segura esse garoto? Até onde pode ir Magnus Carlsen? Quem diria que o número 1 do ranking atual estaria treinando o atual campeão do mundo...

Carlsen ainda fará muita história no xadrez, com certeza!

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Carlsen será el entrenador de Anand para el Mundial en Sofía
El pasado lunes, Viswanathan Anand visitó Calcuta, para felicitar a los ganadores de la zona oriental de la "NIIT Mindchampions Academy". Aprovechó l aportunidad para dar una rueda de prensa. El periódico "Telgraph Calcutta" publicó ayer un resumen de las intervenciones de Anand. Entre otras cosas, anunció que ya tiene entrenador para el duelo por el título mundial contra Veselin Topalov en Sofía. ¡No será nadie menos que el propio nuevo número uno del mundo, Magnus Carlsen! El noruego ya había apoyado a Anand en el último Campeonato del Mundo contra Kramnik. Además está también negociando también con Ganguly. Anand comentó que ya se está preparando de manera muy intensa al duelo ahora mismo y que se está entrenando hasta 12 horas (¡!) al día. El artículo en Telegraph Calcutta (en inglés).

sexta-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 34

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

La variante del peón envenenado...
... de la Najdorf solía ser una de las armas favoritas de Bobby Fischer cuando quería ganar una partida (o sea, prácticamente siempre). Hoy en día muchas líneas han sido analizadas hasta que terminan en tablas. Aún así, las fascinantes complicaciones siguen atrayendo a los jugadores. Esta posición surgió el fin de semana pasado en la Bundesliga Alemana. Tras 28...Ta7, en su opinión, ¿cuál de las afirmaciones sería la correcta? A) Las negras tienen una posición ganadora. B) Las blancas deben dar jaque continuo. C) En realidad no es jaque continuo, sino que ganan las blancas. Tiene la solución aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Juegan las blancas. Es la posición tras 28...Ta7

¿Cuál es la respuesta correcta?

A) Las negras tienen una posición ganadora.
B) Las blancas deben dar jaque continuo.
C) En realidad no es jaque continuo, sino que ganan las blancas .

quarta-feira, 16 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 33

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Un caballo con truco
Muchos jugadores aficionados de ajedrez tienen un tremendo respeto al caballo, en muchos casos porque han sufrido dolorosas experiencias con él. En su análisis de una partida de la Bundesliga Alemana contra el Wattenscheid del pasado fin de semana, el GM alemán Karsten Müller nos enseña que el caballo puede presumir de todas sus habilidades tácticas no solamente en el medio juego, sino también durante el final. En la posición que se ve en el tablero, iban a jugar las negras y parece que lo único que debe hacer para ganar la partida es avanzar con los peones del flanco de dama. Pero, ¿con cuál de los peones debería avanzar mejor? ¿Qué opina Ud.? ¿55...b3 o 55...c3?Tiene la solución aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Juegan las negras: ¿55...b3 o 55...c3?

sexta-feira, 11 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 32

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

A coffin nail...
11.12.2009 – ... in chess is a pawn which has advanced to the sixth rank in the enemy king position, creating all kinds of mate motifs. Here Black had to decide whether he could allow White's pawn to go to h6 or not. 37...Ra4xe4 in your opinion leads to which result?
A) win for Black;
B) positional draw;
C) win for White.
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Position after 37...Ra4xe4



A) win for Black;
B) positional draw;
C) win for White.

quinta-feira, 10 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 31

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Malakhov and his Slav with 4...a6
09.12.2009 – Vladimir Malakhov is the man of the hour at the World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk. Having beaten his opponents (Smirin, Eljanov and So) in rapid chess, he went on to defeat Peter Svidler in normal chess with the black pieces - and once again with his beloved 4...a6 Slav (which had already downed Pavel Eljanov and Wesley So). Incidentally, the discussed variation - 5.e3 b5 6.c5 g6 - was extensively analysed by Dorian Rogozenco in his contribution for CBM 119. Rainer Knaak has annotated this game.
Svidler-Malakhov on ChessBase Magazine Online...

Svidler-Malakhov, position after 7.Bd3

Your judgement, please - Pt. 30

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

A mate attack out of the blue
09.12.2009 – Today will see the first game of the final Gelfand-Ponomariov at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Opportunity for us to look back on an exciting moment from the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov. The latter has just played 49...Rb2? (diagram), thus giving his young opponent the unexpected chance to decide the game by mating threats. Which surprising move helped the 19-year-old Ukraine to secure victory now? Use this larger diagram to work it out for yourself. Grandmaster Karsten Müller has analysed the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov for ChessBase Magazine Online.

Position after 49...Rb2? How did Karjakin continue?

segunda-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2009

Qual foi o torneio mais forte de todos os tempos?

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

07.12.2009 – The Tal Memorial this year in Moscow? It has been billed as such, but it all depends on how you evaluate such events. If you correct for rating inflation, and especially if you consider the world ranking of the participants, other tournaments easily outstrip this one. Very plausibly AVRO 1938 was the strongest – or at least the most elite, since players #1-8 were present. Jeff Sonas explains.

What was the strongest tournament of all time?

By Jeff Sonas

As with most of the "greatest-ever" debates, there are many ways to answer this question. The simplest answer is to compare the average FIDE rating of the participants in each tournament. That is how a tournament's "Category" is calculated, with 25-point intervals. Thus if the average rating is 2751-2775 it's a "Category 21" tournament; if the average rating is 2726-2750, it's a "Category 20" tournament, and so on.

The 2009 Tal Memorial in Moscow, recently won by Vladimir Kramnik, was a Category 21 tournament, and I don't believe there has ever been a Category 22 tournament. Thus by this approach, the 2009 Tal Memorial would be in a tie for the strongest tournament of all time. However, I do not place much emphasis on "Category" as a measure of tournament strength, mostly because of the large amount of rating inflation that has taken place in the past 25 years. Recent tournaments will look unusually strong by this measure. There must be a more sophisticated way to measure tournament strength.

There is also the problem that official FIDE ratings have only been around since about 1970, yet there were important chess tournaments going back more than a century before then. You can't calculate the strength of a tournament if there are no ratings available! But fortunately we do have the Chessmetrics historical ratings that provide month-by-month ratings from January 2005 all the way back to January of 1843. I haven't calculated new Chessmetrics ratings since January 2005, so for this current analysis, I just used FIDE ratings for the period from January 2005 to the present.

Nevertheless, in order to really assess which were the "strongest" tournaments of all time, you need a method that is completely immune to the effects of rating inflation. Thus I have decided to avoid using ratings directly, and instead to use players' world rankings (e.g. #1 in the world, #7 in the world, etc.) at the time they played in the tournament. This should hopefully eliminate any problems caused by rating inflation.

Ten years ago I developed a simple trick for calculating a Category-like number, using just the world rankings (not ratings) of top ten players in a tournament. I called this alternate number the tournament's "Class", and it was designed to be in the same magnitude as Category (at least for what Category meant ten years ago). Here is the calculation:

  • A tournament gets 4 points for each participant ranked #1 or #2 in the world.
  • A tournament gets 3 points for each participant ranked #3 or #4 in the world.
  • A tournament gets 2 points for each participant ranked #5 or #6 in the world.
  • A tournament gets 1 point for each participant ranked #7, #8, #9, or #10.

Thus the theoretical maximum, if a tournament included all ten players in the top-ten, would be a Class of 22. There has never been a Class 22 tournament; the ten all-time strongest tournaments by this measure have ranged from Class 19 through Class 21:


Tournament

Class

Top-10 Participation

Missing Top-10 Player(s)

#1

Vienna, 1882

21

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #10

#9 S.Rosenthal

#2

Linares, 1993

21

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #10

#9 N.Short

#3

Nottingham, 1936

20

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8

#9 A.Lilienthal #10 P.Keres

#4

AVRO, 1938

20

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8

#9 E.Eliskases #10 V.Pirc

#5

Linares, 1992

20

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8

#9 M.Gurevich #10 A.Shirov

#6

Wijk aan Zee 2001

20

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8

#9 E.Bareev #10 B.Gelfand

#7

London, 1883

19

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7

#8 L.Paulsen #9 V.Hruby #10 A.Wittek

#8

Wijk aan Zee 1999

19

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7

#8 M.Adams #9 A.Karpov #10 N.Short

#9

Linares, 1994

19

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #8, #9

#6 V.Salov #10 N.Short

#10

Hastings, 1895

19

#1, #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #8, #9

#5 P.Lipke #10 J.Showalter

As you can see, there have been six tournaments that had the eight top players in the world, and two of those also had the #10 player (but not the #9 player). Thus the two highest-Class tournaments of all time were Vienna 1882 and Linares 1993, both Class 21. As a tiebreaker, I would give the nod to Vienna 1882 because it also included World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz, who was inactive on the rating list (having not played in six years) and thus not a member of the top ten.

I have previously used the Class calculation to identify the "super-tournaments" throughout chess history, referring to any tournament having a Class of 15 or better. There have been 57 such tournaments, including seven during the current decade (2000 through 2009). The only decade having more super-tournaments was the previous decade (1990 through 1999), which had thirteen. Here are those seven tournaments from the current decade (2000 through 2009):


Tournament

Class

Top-10 Participation

#6

Wijk aan Zee, 2001

20

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8

#25

Corus A, 2005

17

#2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9

#27

Linares, 2000

16

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5

#29

Corus A, 2008

16

#1, #2, #3, #6, #8, #9, #10

#35

Tal Memorial, 2009

16

#2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #8, #9, #10

#39

Linares, 2005

15

#1, #2, #3, #5, #6

#41

Wijk aan Zee, 2000

15

#1, #2, #3, #5, #7, #9

However, this is not the end of the story. The above approach places the most emphasis on how many top-ten players participated in a tournament, especially top-six players, but there is no penalty if the tournament includes one or more lower-rated players. In fact, from that list of the ten tournaments from history having Class 19+, all but one of them (AVRO 1938) included at least one participant who wasn't even ranked in the top-50 in the world. This is a real problem with the above methodology, since I think a lot of people mean "most elite" when they are talking about the "strongest" tournaments.

So, how can we measure the "most elite" tournament, using only world rank and not directly using ratings? I would say that however many players a tournament has, if they are all taken exactly from the top of the rating list, then it is a perfectly elite tournament. And it should be possible to come up with a formula to measure how close each tournament came to being perfectly elite.

Las Palmas 1996 is frequently cited as being the most elite tournament of all time, supposedly including the top six players and nobody else. However, this does not appear to be true. From the July 1996 FIDE rating list, we find that Vassily Ivanchuk (lowest-rated of the six players at Las Palmas) was #7 on the rating list, with Gata Kamsky (who did not play at Las Palmas) 15 points ahead of him at #6. Perhaps the "live FIDE ratings" at the time would have had Ivanchuk higher up and Kamsky down at #7, but of course those are not available and we wouldn't want to use them even if they were.

Similarly, my Chessmetrics historical ratings for 01-Dec-1996 (right before the tournament) also have Kamsky at #6 on the list, half a rating point ahead of #7-ranked Las Palmas participant Veselin Topalov. So it turns out the Las Palmas 1996 was not perfectly elite. Very very close, but not quite. The only tournament in history that was perfectly elite was AVRO 1938, which had the top eight players from the 01-Nov-1938 Chessmetrics rating list, and nobody else in the tournament.

To continue this analysis, let's look at the recent ten-player Tal Memorial tournament. An "ideal" ten-player tournament would have players ranked #1, #2, #3, …, #9, #10. If you add up those ranks, you get 1+2+3+…+9+10=55. Instead, the Tal Memorial included #12 and #13, and did not include #1 or #6. So for that tournament, when you add up the ranks, you get 2+3+4+…+10+12+13=73. Dividing 55 by 73 gives 0.75, and by my simple formula, that tells us the tournament was "75% of ideal".

We can do this for all the tournaments in history, and unsurprisingly we find AVRO 1938 on the top of the list, and Las Palmas 1996 at #2 on the list. You may find a few surprises lower down. And it turns out that the recent Tal Memorial shows up as the seventh-most-elite tournament of all time, and the most elite tournament in more than ten years.


Tournament

%ideal

players

"Non-ideal" participant(s)

"Ideal" player(s) missing

#1

AVRO, 1938

100%

8

(none)

(none)

#2

Las Palmas, 1996

95%

6

#7 V.Topalov

#6 G.Kamsky

#3

Linares, 1998

85%

7

#10 P.Svidler

#5 A.Karpov

#4

Zurich Candidates 1953

83%

15

#16 M.Euwe #25 Y.Averbakh

#2 M.Botvinnik #15 A.Tolush

#5

Reggio Emilia, 1991

80%

10

#11 A.Beliavsky #12 A.Khalifman #15 L.Polugaevsky

#6 N.Short #8 E.Bareev #10 A.Jussupow

#6

St. Petersburg 1895

77%

4

#5 H.Pillsbury

#2 S.Tarrasch

#7

Tal Memorial, 2009

75%

10

#12 V.Ivanchuk #13 R.Ponomariov

#1 V.Topalov #6 V.Gashimov

#8

Linares, 1999

75%

8

#17 P.Leko

#5 A.Shirov

#9

Dortmund, 2001

64%

6

#7 M.Adams #12 V.Topalov

#1 G.Kasparov #6 V.Ivanchuk

#10

Budapest Candidates 1950

61%

10

#11 L.Szabo #19 A.Lilienthal #20 S.Flohr

#1 M.Botvinnik #6 R.Fine #8 S.Reshevsky

#11

Corus A, 2008

60%

14

#15 M.Adams #22 J.Polgar #27 P.Eljanov #36 L.van Wely

#4 A.Morozevich #5 P.Svidler #7 A.Shirov #14 S.Karjakin

#12

Bilbao, 2008

60%

6

#7 T.Radjabov #12 L.Aronian

#2 V.Kramnik #3 A.Morozevich

This is certainly an interesting list, and indicates the historical significance of the 2009 Tal Memorial. You will notice that out of all events that lacked the top-ranked player in the world, it qualifies as the most "elite" tournament ever, since it brought together 10 of the next 12 players below #1 Veselin Topalov, with no participants worse than #13 in the world.

Normally you might think it would be one of the first five FIDE World Championship Candidates Final tournaments (1950 through 1962) that would qualify for the odd distinction as the "most-elite" tournament that also lacked the top-ranked player in the world. In fact, while the 1950 Budapest tournament did indeed attempt to bring together the next ten players after top-rated Mikhail Botvinnik, you can see from the above table that more top-ten-players were omitted than in the recent Tal Memorial, and Budapest also included two participants well below #13 in the world, so on both counts the Tal Memorial seems to have been more elite. And my historical ratings did not consider World Champion Botvinnik to be the top-rated player in the world at the time of the 1953, 1956, 1959, or 1962 Candidates Finals, so in fact each of those tournament did include the top-ranked player in the world (S.Reshevsky in 1953, V.Smyslov in 1956, M.Tal in 1959, and T.Petrosian in 1962) according to Chessmetrics.

In any event, one could legitimately argue that it is a serious omission for an "elite" tournament to be lacking the very top player in the world. It is true that my simple formula would penalize a tournament as much for including the #19 player instead of the #9 player, as it would for including the #11 player instead of the #1 player, and that probably isn't quite right. Instead of a pattern like 1+2+3+…+9+10, we could use the reciprocal of the world rank, and thus it would be 1.00+0.50+0.33+0.25…+0.11+0.10 instead. This rewards the events more that have full participation from the top handful from the rating list, and at the other end it doesn't care as much whether you have #20 or #30. This modification brings Las Palmas 1996 even closer to the "ideal" AVRO 1938. By this final measure, here are the 12 most "elite" tournaments of all time:

See the complete table on: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5956

Clearly it would be very hard to argue with the choice of AVRO, 1938 as the strongest, most elite tournament of all time, the perfect blend of top-ten participation and elite selectivity. After that tournament, it's not as clear; it really depends on whether you think a "strong" tournament means it has a host of top-ten players, or if you mean it is an extremely elite event. It is difficult for one tournament to accomplish provide both. Either way, the above data should hopefully be a good resource for the next time you want to argue about what was the strongest tournament of all time!

Copyright Chessmetrics


Euwe, Smyslov, Keres, Botvinnik and Reshevsky at the AVRO 1938 tournament

Cross tables of the twelve top tournaments

See the complete tables on: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5956

domingo, 6 de dezembro de 2009

Calendário de Eventos enxadrísticos - Dezembro 2009

Retirado do site Clubedexadrez.com.br.

Calendário de dezembro

Atualizado em 05/12 às 15h09 (horário de verão) - prossegue hoje, com a sexta rodada, a Final do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto em Americana e termina em Mendes o Festival Sulamericano da Juventude - jornal "O Estado de São Paulo" está sob censura há 128 dias - ótimo domingo a todos!

1 a 3: Torneio Condomínio Colonial Residence - fechado, jogadores locais e de Conceição do Rio Verde/MG - em andamento

2 a 11: Final do Campeonato Brasileiro - premiação: R$10.000,00 ($3.000,00 ao campeão) - Americana - SP - em andamento, resultados do sábado: quarta rodada - MF Carlos Alberto Barreto Filho 0 x 1 GM Giovanni Vescovi, GM Alexandr Fier 0,5 x 0,5 MI Everaldo Matsuura, Máximo Iack Macedo 1 x 0 MF Roberto Junio Molina, GM André Diamant 1 x 0 MI Jorge Humberto Bittencourt, GM Rafael Leitão 0,5 x 0,5 GM Gilberto Milos Júnior e MI Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian 1 x 0 MF Yago Santiago; quinta rodada - Santiago (1,5) 0,5 x 0,5 (1) Barreto Filho, Milos(3) 0,5 x 0,5 Mekhitarian(vice-líder com 3,5), Bittencourt(1,5) 0,5 x 0,5 Leitão(3), Molina(2,5) 1 x 0 Diamant(2,5), Matsuura(2,5) 1 x 0 Macedo(2,5) e Vescovi(líder com 4,5) 0,5 x 0,5 Fier(2,5). Neste domingo, sexta rodada às 15h30 com Barreto Filho x Fier, Macedo x Vescovi, Diamant x Matsuura, Leitão x Molina, Mekhitarian x Bittencourt e Santiago x Milos

2 a 11: 6º Festival Sulamericano da Juventude - sub 18 a sub 8 - Mendes - RJ - em andamento

3 a 6: Aberto de Fim de Ano Tabuleiro Cultural - São Paulo - em andamento, 12 jogadores. Edmundo Aoyama lidera com 5 em 6. Na sétima e antepenúltima rodada, puxou ( e como puxou...) Expedito Santana, 11º com 1,5

4 a 6: Campeonato Municipal Absoluto - Carazinho - RS - em andamento

5 e 6: Etapa de Resende do Circuito dos Regionais do Interior Fluminense - classificatório para os campeonatos Carioca ou do Interior, conforme a filiação - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($400,00 ao campeão) - em andamento

5 e 6: 6ª Etapa Classificatoria do Campeonato Absoluto Alto Paranaíba e Triangulo Mineiro de Xadrez Pensado 2009 - valendo 15 vagas para a Semifinal - premiação: R$300,00 (R$100,00 para o Campeão) - Araxá - em andamento

5: Aberto 25º Aniversário do Clube de Xadrez Peão na Sétima - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($300,00 ao campeão) - Capão da Canoa - RS - encerrado

5: Competição enxadrística dos Jogos Estudantis da Rede Pública da Bahia/Etapa Barreiras - categorias A (nascidos entre 92 e 94) e B ( entre 95 e 97) - encerrado

5: Torneio Copercampos - 4 emparceiramentos distintos: Absoluto, Até 16 Anos, Até 12 Anos e Até 8 Anos - Campos Novos - PR - encerrado

6: Etapa do Circuito Paulista Dinâmico/8ª do Circuito Centro-Oeste Paulista, denominada Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal - premiação: R$630,00 ($200,00 ao campeão) - Bauru - em andamento

6: Etapa classificatória dos campeonatos paranaenses Absoluto e Feminino - Toledo - em andamento

7 a 19: 2º IRT Tabuleiro Cultural - fechado, 12 jogadores - São Paulo

7 a 19: 2º IRT HiperChess - fechado, 12 jogadores - São Paulo

11 a 20: IRT Cidade dos Azulejos - fechado, 10 jogadores - São Luis

12 e 13: Final do Campeonato Goiano Absoluto - Quartas-de-final e Semifinal - Goiânia

12 e 13: Campeonato Carioca

12 e 13: 2º Aberto Três Rios - premiação: R$1.300,00 ($500,00 ao campeão) - RJ

13: Torneio Mensal de Xadrez do SESC Interlagos - inscrições gratuitas e antecipadas pelo e-mail xadrez@interlagos.sescsp.org.br até o dia 12/12 as 13 horas - São Paulo

13: Final do 2º Grand-Prix Sesc Interlagos - disputam o Troféu Sesc Interlagos os 6 melhores pontuadores do ano: Cassius Silva, Italo Vale, Valdinei Fialho, Armen Proudian, Vinicius Saito e Fernando Lacerda - São Paulo

13: 3º Torneio de Confraternização - Carapicuíba - SP

16 a 20: Torneio Fide 35 Anos da Fundação da Associação Leopoldinense de Xadrez/Alex - premiação: R$2.000,00 ($800,00 ao campeão) - Rio de Janeiro

12: Torneio de Confraternização do Clube de Xadrez Mogi das Cruzes - premiação: R$700,00 ($200,00 ao campeão) - SP

16 a 31: Torneio 35 Anos da Fundação da Associação Leopoldinense de Xadrez/Alex - Rio de Janeiro

18 a 20: 2º Aberto Balneário do Sol - Bonito - MS

19 e 20: Final do Campeonato Goiano Absoluto - match final de 4 partidas - Goiânia

19 e 20: 4º Memorial Hercílio Ermel/Homenagem ao GM Jaime Sunye Neto/Campeonato Paranaense Aberto de Rápidas - premiação: R$3.000,00 ($1.000,00 ao campeão) - Londrina

19 e 20: Campeonato Fluminense do Interior

19: 4º Memorial Hercílio Ermel/Homenagem ao GM Jaime Sunye Neto/Campeonato Paranaense Aberto Relâmpago - Londrina

19: 37º Torneio Papai Noel GXBG - lata de panetone, de bom tamanho e procedência, e garrafa de espumante (sim, espumante, pois champagne só se for francesa e produzida na região da Champagne) ao campeão - São Paulo

19: Torneio AABB Rio - Finish - Rio de Janeiro

20: Etapa final fechada do Circuito Solidário GXBG/Casa Amarela de Santo Amaro - SP 28 a 31: Magistral de Natal Praça Seca Xadrez Clube - RJ



competição inaugural de 2010:



5 a 10: IRT Final do Campeonato Mineiro Absoluto 2009 - 12 finalistas - premiação: R$600,00 ($200,00 ao campeão) - Belo Horizonte

sexta-feira, 4 de dezembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 29

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

A knight on a weakened central square...
04.12.2009 – ... usually means a strong positional trump, however, sometimes this alone is not enough to win the game. Here Black was facing the question whether closing the queenside with 20...b3 21.a3 (diagram) would be beneficial for him. What do you think? A) this enhances Black's spacial superiority, but doesn't yield him anything concrete; B) a powerful continuation, considerably increasing his positional advantage; C) not good, White has one worry less and will be able to successfully defend himself in the centre and on the kingside.
The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

Position after 20...b3 21.a3


sexta-feira, 27 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 28

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor
Avanzando peones por delante de su propio rey, ya no es ninguna excepción en las modernas líneas de aperturas (en este caso se trata de la Variante Ruy Lopez/Moller 5...Ac5). No obstante, siempre se debería actuar con mucha cautela. En este ejemplo, las negras se deben plantear la cuestión si podrán ganar más terreno con 18...g4, intenntando ganar el peón central de las blancas d4. ¿Qué opina Ud.? A) Las negras alcanzan la ventaja, y gracias al fuerte Cf5 mantiene el control firmemente. B) El será devuelto, la posición ha sido debilitada demasiado. C) Las blancas podrán igualar con un juego preciso. La solución está aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

¿Qué tal les parece 18...g4?

quinta-feira, 26 de novembro de 2009

Ambiente aberto de Xadrez Online

Retirado do blog Vida Geek.

O Xadrez Livre é um ambiente aberto de ensino e aprendizagem de xadrez criado para servir como apoio ao projeto de ensino de xadrez nas escolas brasileiras.

Mas não é só ensino e aprendizagem que interessam por lá, há também o Ambiente de Jogo (http://xadrezlivre.c3sl.ufpr.br) , onde os usuários podem jogar contra robôs ou entre si - há uma média de 100 usuários conectados, mas já aconteceram picos com 300 jogadores. São 3 níveis de robôs (fácil, intermediário e difícil) que já completaram 100 mil partidas. O robô difícil, por exemplo, já jogou 21.136 partidas e dessas, ganhou 19.668.

Além disso, o Xadrez Livre é composto ainda por outras duas ferramentas:

  • o Módulo de Aprendizagem, que tem como objetivo auxiliar o estudo das regras e aspectos introdutórios do jogo de Xadrez, disponibilizando explicações sobre o jogo e suas regras e exercícios de fixação da aprendizagem;
  • e o Gerenciador de Torneios, uma ferramenta para o planejamento e o acompanhamento de competições de Xadrez.

Para os desenvolvedores que quiserem contribuir o código fonte está em http://git.c3sl.ufpr.br/gitweb. O servidor é um componente Jabber baseado em XMPP/Jabber, com interface Javascript e Ajax.

Pra quem quiser entrar em contato com a equipe – formada por bolsistas do Centro de Computação Científica e Software Livre (C3SL) da UFPR – escreva para xadrez-devel em c3sl ponto ufpr ponto br.

quarta-feira, 25 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 27

Retirado do blog Chessbase.com.

Selected attacking games
25.11.2009 – Games full of tactical ups and downs and mating motifs rightly charm every chess fan, and so it will come as no surprise that a successful attack on the king always represents a dainty morsel for all chess lovers. We have selected and annotated two attractive attacking games from the Russia Cup in Saint Petersburg. In the first of them (diagram) we see how Ian Nepomniachtchi sets about an uncastled Sicilian king. In the second game, a Ruy Lopez, Alexei Fedorov managed to reduce to rubble the castled position of the black monarch. IM Michael Kopylov for ChessBaseMagazine Online.

Position after 19.h6!

domingo, 22 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 26

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor
Una hueste de peones pasados contra un ataque a lo largo de las columnas g y f fue lo que se presenció en la partida que hoy ofrecemos, en la que se cambiaron damas tras 30...f4 31.Dxg5 Txg5, pero las negras se las arreglaron para colocar en la balanza la doble amenaza 32...fxe3 y ...f3. ¿Cuál es su comentario en esa situación? A) Los peones pasados aún no están suficientemente adelantados, así que ganan las negras; B) con el mejor juego unas tablas posicionales son la consecuencia lógica; C) las blancas salen victoriosas. Tiene la solución aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Juegan las blancas tras 31... Txg5

sexta-feira, 20 de novembro de 2009

World Blitz Championship: closeup video footage

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

20.11.2009 – Some watched it live in the GUM mall in Moscow. You probably followed the action on Playchess, perhaps with webcam images from the official site running as well (they had a strange two-minute lag to the game moves). Now you have a chance to see highlights of the World Blitz Championship close up in video with a JavaScript replay board. A unique experience – you don't want to miss it!


World Blitz Championship – final pictorial report

This event was held on November 16, 17 and 18 in the showroom of the Red Square mall GUM. Time controls were three minutes for the whole game + two seconds increment per move. The event was a 22-player double round-robin, i.e. it had a total of 42 rounds, which were played on three consecutive days. The participants include the players from the Tal Memorial, plus twelve invitees. The average rating was 2718 – quite remarkable for an evernt with so many players.

Videos of the Blitz games in Moscow

Posted on YouTube by Eugene Potemkin and Sergey Sorlkhtin

Below are six videos we have selected for you. As a special service you can watch them together with the replayable games on our JavaScript board. Try it out: start the video and click on the notation or the replay buttons to follow the moves on the graphic chessboard. Note that you can pause the video at any stage by pressing the Space bar on your computer keyboard. Pressing it again will restart the video.

If you just want to watch the videos you can use the players below:


World Blitz Championship – the players enter for the round


Round 17 games between Shakh Mamedyarov and Vladimir Kramnik


Round 28: Magnus Carlsen vs Peter Svidler. This video was posted by
Bumblebee1607 – there are more on his YouTube channel.


The zeitnot phase of the round 30 game between Carlsen and Grischuk


Ten-minute video of the full round 34 game Carlsen vs Karjakin


The final phase of the round 37 game Mamedyarov vs Ivanchuk

Final standings (after 42 rounds)

Click to get a full table (with ratings, performance and tiebreaks)


Links

sexta-feira, 13 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 25

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

White squares and diagonals...
13.11.2009 – ... were the issue in this position where the first player had sacrificed an exchange to occupy the 7th rank and drive the black king to g6. Yet after 25...Rad8 an idea was required. What do you think, is the best continuation a move...
A) with the queen;
B) with a bishop;
C) or with a pawn?

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.

White to move after 25...Rad8

quinta-feira, 12 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 24

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Knight in the corner
11.11.2009 – "A knight on the rim is dim" - there is no aphorism which is known more widely to amateur players than this one. And although there are more than enough exceptions to this rule, the phrase naturally is also fully justified. All the more so when the case involves not just a knight on the edge of the board, but that rarely spotted example of the species: a knight in the corner. Recently, one such example caused Ivan Cheparinov all sorts of problems, when the sad-looking steed was corralled in the corner with the help of a bishop. GM Karsten Müller analyses the ending Cheparinov-Caruana for ChessBase Magazine Online.

Position after 45... Ba5

sábado, 7 de novembro de 2009

Calendário de eventos enxadrísticos - Novembro de 2009

Caros colegas,

Desculpem-me por não ter divulgado o calendário de eventos enxadrísticos do mês de Outubro. Abaixo está o calendário para o mês de Novembro, e o começo do mês de Dezembro.

Retirado do site Clubedexadrez.com.br.

Calendário de novembro ( e os primeiros torneios de dezembro)

Atualizado em 07/11 às 16h23 (horário de verão) - Festival Nacional Interclubes em Curitiba é o destaque do fim de semana, que tem também a abertura do Campeonato Cearense Absoluto - no próximo dia 22, em Itaú de Minas, torneio aberto terá premiação de R$1.000,00 e inscrições a R$5,00, com isenção para os jogadores locais - jornal "O Estado de São Paulo" está sob censura há 99 dias

1: 11ª Copa Franco Montoro - Campeonato Paulista Interclubes Dinâmico (oito entidades filiadas à FPX de maior rating local rápido) e Campeonato Interclubes Dinâmico/Interequipes Dinâmico (qualquer entidade, filiada ou não) - São Paulo - encerrada, 114 equipes e as vitórias do Clube de Xadrez Sorocaba no Interclubes Dinâmico, com 15,5 pontos em 21 possíveis e da equipe denominada "Bar Vero" no Interequipes Dinâmico, com 16 pontos e melhor desempate que AXPG Dreams e as equipes P e J da AAS São José

2: Etapa do Circuito Paulista Dinâmico Clube de Xadrez Santos & Esporte Clube Pinheiros - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($300,00 ao campeão) - inscrições: R$30,00 - São Paulo - encerrado

2: 11º Memorial Fritz Loepert - etapa Dia de Finados do 4º Circuito Xadrez nos Feriados GXBG - premiação: R$250,00 ($100,00 ao campeão) - São Paulo - encerrado, 54 jogadores e a vitória do jovem Rafael Zakowitz, com 6 pontos nas 7 rodadas e melhor desempate que Vinicius Catozzo Júnior

6 a 8: IRT Aniversário de Itapetininga/para jogadores com rating Fide até 2199 - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($250,00 ao campeão) - SP

6 a 8: Festival Nacional Interclubes/Troféu João Lourenço Cordioli - categorias Principal (entidades filiadas à alguma federação estadual, prefeituras ou autarquias) e Aberta (livre, leve e solto) - premiação (categoria Principal):R$1.000,00 ($500,00 ao campeão) - Cuririba - em andamento

6 a 10: Etapa Natal do Circuito CBX dos torneios para norma de MI - em andamento

7 a 22: 10º Campeonato Roraimense Absoluto e Sub 12 Masculino e Feminino - Boa Vista - em andamento

7 a 15: Campeonato Cearense Absoluto - premiação: R$300,00 + 75% das inscrições - Fortaleza - em andamento

7 e 8: Etapa de Araruama do Circuito Regional Fluminense - classificatório para os Campeonatos Carioca ou Do Interior, conforme a filiação - premiação: R$1.000,00 ( $350,00 ao campeão ) - em andamento

7 e 8: Semifinal do Campeonato Baiano Absoluto da Região do Recôncavo - 6 vagas para a Final - Feira de Santana - em andamento

7 e 8: 2º Aberto Cidade de Corumbá - MS - em andamento

7: 5ª etapa da Copa Farias Brito Cadetes - inscrições gratuitas deverão ser confirmadas até o dia 06 pelo e-mail moezionunes@yahoo.com.br ou pelos telefones: (85) 9135 8767 ou 3486 9086 - em andamento

7: Etaoa inaugural do Circuito Mineiro Escolar 2009/2010 - inscrições: R$1,00 - ensinos Fundamental e Médio - Belo Horizonte - em andamento

8: etapa do Circuito Paulista Dinâmico e 7ª do Circuito Centro-Oeste Paulista, denominada “Vasily Smyslov”. Premiação: R$630,00 ($200,00 ao campeão) - Botucatu

8: etapa do Circuito Regional Paulista - premiação: R$500,00 ($120,00 ao campeão) - Jundiaí

8: 5ª etapa do Circuito Barbalhense de Rápidas Secretária da Educação Maria Betilde Correia, válida pelo Circuito Cearense de Rápidas - inscrições: R$5,00

13 a 15: Campeonato Pan-Americano Amador - para jogadores com rating Fide inferior até 2000 - Aracajú

14 e 15: Campeonato Fluminense Popular - premiação: R$2.000,00 - Rio de Janeiro

14 e 15: 4ª Etapa Classificatoria do Campeonato Absoluto Alto Paranaíba e Triangulo Mineiro de Xadrez Pensado 2009 - valendo 15 vagas para a Semifinal - R$300,00 em prêmios (R$100,00 para o Campeão) - Patrocínio

14 e 15: Final das competições enxadrísticas dos Jogos Comerciários do Paraná - Curitiba

14: Torneio Proclamação da República - etapa do Circuito Xadrez nos Feriados GXBG - convites para a Final do Circuito ao campeão e ao vice - São Paulo

14: Competições enxadrísticas do Festival do Colégio Eleonora Bisognini Carbonell/Foca - informações e inscrições até 11/11 pelo e-mail xadrez.carbonell@gmail.com - Guarulhos

14: 5ª etapa do Circuito Barbalhense de Rápidas João Filgueiras Teles, válida pelo Circuito Cearense de Rápidas - inscrições: R$5,00

14: Torneio Infantil Sesc Taguatinga Norte - para jogadores até 15 anos -inscrições: R$5,00 - DF

15: Campeonato Paulista Relâmpago - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($250,00 ao campeão) - Itapetininga

15: 54º Memorial Júlio Guerra - 10ª etapa do Circuito Solidário GXBG - inscrições como nas demais edições mediante a doação de 1 kg de alimento que será encaminhado à Casa do Menor de Santo Amaro - São Paulo

19 a 22: 4º IRT do Alphaville Tênis Clube - Barueri - SP

19: 4º Torneio Dia da Consciência Negra - entre os finalistas do Circuito dos Feriados GXBG - São Paulo

19: 4º Aberto Zumbi dos Palmares GXBG - relógio de xadrez ao campeão

22: 7º Aberto de Itaú de Minas - premiação: R$1.000,00 ($200,00 ao campeão) - inscrições: R$5,00 - jogadores locais serão isentos

22: Festival com Tempo de Reflexão Progressivo na Lona de Jacarepaguá - 1ª rodada com 6 minutos para cada jogador, as demais acrescentando 5 minutos por rodada - Absoluto e Escolar - premiação no Absoluto: R$325,00 ($120,00 ao campeão) - premiação no Escolar: Livro, DVD de "Lances Inocentes" e CD de programa de xadrez para computador - Rio de Janeiro

28 e 29: Semifinal do Campeonato Mineiro Absoluto - premiação: R$1.000,00 ( $850,00 no Absoluto - $250,00 ao campeão e $150,00 no Feminino - $100,00 ao campeão ) - Belo Horizonte

28 e 29: Festival "Xadrez é Cultura" - Petrolina - PE

28: 6ª Copa São Paulo Escolar - Sub 14 a Sub 8 - Taubaté





primeiros torneios de dezembro:

2 a 11: 6º Festival Sulamericano da Juventude - sub 18 a sub 8 - Mendes - RJ

4 a 6: Campeonato Municipal Absoluto - Carazinho - RS

Your judgement, please - Pt. 23

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor
Cinco piezas en fila en la columna h: eso es lo primero que salta a la vista en esta posición, donde las negras acaban de jugar ...Cg6-f4, atacando a la dama y la torre de las blancas. ¿Cuál sería su veredicto sobre este panorama?
A) La horquilla es ganadora para las negras;
B) Las blancas podrán salvar el cuello con jaque continuo;
C) Efectivamente las blancas pueden dar mate.
La solución está aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Juegan las blancas:

quinta-feira, 5 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 22

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

A rook ending worth its weight in gold
05.11.2009 – The European Team Championship in Novi Sad witnessed an exciting final round in which the decision as to who would win the gold medal came as the result of a rook ending. Vugar Gashimov, White, absolutely had to win in order to secure the title for the Azerbaijani team. Daniel Stellwagen, Black, was fighting for a draw. In the position shown in our diagram, which move would you have chosen as Black? Think carefully.
GM Karsten Müller has analysed the decisive phase of the endgame Gashimov-Stellwagen for ChessBase Magazine Online.

Position after 70.f6

segunda-feira, 2 de novembro de 2009

Video report: Garry Kasparov at Your Next Move

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

02.11.2009 – "Think fast. Think under pressure. Think strategically. That’s how you win in business – and in chess." That's the motto of Your Next Move, an organisation that for the third time staged a chess event near Antwerp centered around Garry Kasparov. It was captured by the Belgian Sports TV company EXQI and is now available in extraordinary high definition. Must watch.


Garry Kasparov at Your Next Move

"Think fast. Think under pressure. Think strategically. That’s how you win in business... and in chess. Our chess tournaments were certainly one of the most prestigious business events of 2007 and 2008." That is the motto of Your Next Move.

On October 13th 2009 Your Next Move organized a chess event in Antwerp, Belgium, for business executives, politicians and children. It was held for the third time, and for the third time it centered aound Garry Kasparov, former World Chess Champion (1985-2000). Kasparov played a simultaneous exhibition against 26 opponents – business executives nominated by the different companies partnering with and sponsoring the exclusive business event. But not just them. The organisers invited chess clubs and primary school to take part in a pre-tournament held in various locations on October 4th. In the weekend prior to the chess event a further selection is made during a simultaneous game against English GM Nigel Short. The winners got seats in the simultaneous exhibition of Garry Kasparov, along with the business personalities.

The event was filmed by EXQI TV in Belgium – in extraordinary quality. It was recently posted on YouTube. The following videos show highlights from the event. The videos feature comments by Nigel Short. Special attention is payed to the game of Chris Lanckriet (BNP Paribas Fortis IS Development Officer) who survived for 48 moves against Kasparov before resigning. Each of the following three segments are ten minutes long. If you do not have the time or patience to watch thirty minutes of video then there is a link at the bottom of the page to a number of smaller sequences.

Note that the videos are in High Definition. There is a small "full screen" button at the bottom right of the YouTube player, which plays the video in the maximum resolution of your monitor. Lucky you if you have a 24 inch HD screen – 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution.

"Ultimately, what separates a winner from a loser at the grandmaster level is the willingness to do the unthinkable. A brilliant strategy is, certainly, a matter of intelligence, but intelligence without audaciousness is not enough. Given the opportunity, I must have the guts to explode the game, to upend my opponent's thinking and, in so doing, unnerve him. So it is in business: One does not succeed by sticking to convention. When your opponent can easily anticipate every move you make, your strategy deteriorates and becomes commoditized. " – Garry Kasparov, FastCompany.com, September 2004.

domingo, 1 de novembro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 21

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

The desperado rook
30.10.2009 – What usually happens is that extra forces help the besieging army storm fortresses. But there is also the opposite case, when the presence of extra material actually saves the defending side, as in the present situation. If he did not have his rook, Black would be totally lost in the duel between White's remaining rook and the black bishop. But White simply cannot force the exchange of rooks:

Analysis Spoelman-Najer


Position after 74.Rg6


sexta-feira, 30 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 20

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor...
Un movimiento intermedio puede cambiar por completo la evaluación de una posición al instante. Aquí se acaba de realizar el movimiento 34.Cc4xe5 y ahora las negras plantean 34....g3 (véase en el diagrama) intentando desviar la dapa blanca para evitar que se le coma su peón d4. ¿Qué opina Ud.? A) Es una buena idea, obliga a 35.Dxg3 fxe5 reduciendo así cualquier inconveniente de las negras a un mínimo. B) Las blancas guardan un truco con un ataque camulfado en la columna e. C) Las negras saltan de la sartén directamente al fuego porque d4 está cayendo en todo caso. La solución está aquí, pero antes de mirarla le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Juegan las blancas tras 34...g3

segunda-feira, 26 de outubro de 2009

Conquer the Kings – a four-way variant of chess

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

26.10.2009 – Here's a new angle on our beloved game: four players, who can strategically vary their starting position, and then play independently or join forces to capture the enemy kings. "Last man standing" is the winner. Originator Johnny M. Wahl says that this game is friendlier and more easily digestible than regular chess. He has enthusiastic videos to bear this out. Illustrated report.

Conquer the Kings

Four-way chess by Johnny M. Wahl

According to the author this game was created with two purposes in mind: "First, for those who already play chess, it is a fresh, exciting take on the classic game while maintaining the principles of movement and strategy that made the original so beloved. And second, for anyone who may have been intimidated by the original game, Conquer the Kings allows for learning to be had in a friendlier, perhaps more easily digestible manner. What's most intriguing is that neophytes and experts alike can sit at the same table and, at times and when necessary, join forces to reach the ultimate goal: Conquer the Kings!"

While you are contemplating Johnny Wahl's words and perusing the images below, you may want to listen to the Conquer the Kings theme song in the background. Click on the Play button to listen.

There are also two videos at the end of this report that demonstrate the game and its rules in vivid, enthusiastic fashion.


Conquer the Kings – basic equipment and setup

Each player starts behind their respective "Front Line" (the four rows closest to the player). Each has 16 pieces, exactly like in chess, and is allowed to place these on the 18 spaces provided anyway he or she likes. This allows setup strategy to be player specific and not board specific (as in chess).


Basic starting position for one side


Starting a game with the Basic Setup on all four sides


the "King's Defense" strategy setup


The "Chaos Left" starting setup


Starting strategy for "Arrow" formation

The object of the game is to conquer the other player's king, remove him and his army from the battlefield and continue until only one king and his army is left standing. Optionally once a king is captured and removed, the conqueror takes over the remaining pieces on the board as his own army to continue. A third variant leaves the remaining pieces on the board to be used as cannon fodder for the other players – they are obstacles that have to be cleared to open the board game up for play.


Kids take to the game quickly and with enthusiasm


Experimenting with Conquer the Kings at Hobby Town USA in Kennesaw, GA in June 2008.Hobby Town USA purchased five games in December 08 and has, so far, only sold one. But the game is on the shelf!


The game is displayed in the World Chess Hall-of-Fame & Sidney Samole Chess
Museum located in Miami Florida – it is also on sale there in the Gift Shop

Video instructions

The the following clips Johnny M. Wahl explains how Conquer the Kings works.


Conquer the Kings – Part 1 (6 min 38 sec)


Conquer the Kings – Part 2 (6 min 15 sec)

Links

sexta-feira, 23 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 19

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

The hanging bishop...
22.10.2009 – ... was only one of White's problems here after 21... Qxg2, since Black not only threatens 22...Qxe2, but also to take the whole kingside apart.
What is the best continuation for the first player?
A) 22.Nxe6
B) 22.Rd8
C) 22.Bf1

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger version of the diagram.


Link

quarta-feira, 21 de outubro de 2009

The Troitzky line

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

21.10.2009 – The endgame Carlsen-Wang Yue, which was presented last week by GM Karsten Mueller for ChessBase Magazine Online, in one variation ended in the diagrammed position with two knights against two pawns. This position is won for the knights' side although, as is well known, two knights alone can't force checkmate. Pivotal for victory is on which square a remaining pawn has to be blocked, determining the so-called Troitzky line. Since this has led to many requests, Karsten Mueller will explain the subject once more in detail in the following.

Position after 65.Nf4!

segunda-feira, 19 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 18

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor
Hay perfume de mate en la posición del diagrama, pero deben decidir cuales de las siguientes afirmaciones son ciertas a la vista de ella:
A) las blancas disponen de un mate forzado tras ...Txa6;
B) las blancas disponen de un mate forzado tras ...Axc6;
C) las negras pueden dar mate ellas mismas.
Por supuesto, para que la respuesta sea correcta, hay que explicar el cómo y el porqué. Como siempre en estos casos, les ofrecemos la solución aquí, pero antes de mirarla, le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Versión más grande del diagrama

sexta-feira, 9 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 17

Retirado do Chessbase.com.

The king as an attacking piece...
09.10.2009 – ... on enemy territory. That was the theme in this game where White, a piece down, after 49....Be8 (diagram) was facing a difficult choice. Which evaluation of the position is correct?
A) the first player must give perpetual check;
B) he decides the game with 50.Qe4;
C) he wins, but with another move.

The solution is here, but first ponder over it with a larger diagram.

White to move

terça-feira, 6 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 16

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

The passed pawn on the seventh rank
06.10.2009 – Whenever an opposing passed pawn reaches the seventh rank, the highest level of alarm is appropriate. But if it is possible to neutralise all possible dangers, such a passed pawn can even turn out to be a decisive weakness. In the fourth round of the Pearl Spring Tournament in Nanjing precisely this subject was up for discussion in the game between Jakovenko and Carlsen. (Diagram, White to move). Thanks to some inaccuracies on the part of his opponent, Magnus Carlsen was able to gather in both the opposing passed pawn and the full point. GM Karsten Müller has analysed the endgame Jakovenko-Carlsen for CBM Online.

Position after 47....Rxe3

domingo, 4 de outubro de 2009

Your judgement, please - Pt. 15

Retirado do site Chessbase.com.

Su valoración, por favor
En esta ocasión la cosa va del jaco y de los jaques. Las blancas han dejado dos piezas sin proteger en su propio campo al jugar 33.Cxc4 (posición del diagrama), para intentar esquivar el ataque doble sobre Cc4 y Tf7 tras 33...Dd1+ y ...Dd5 con 34.Ce5. ¿Cómo valoraría usted la situación?
A) aún así, las negras ganan material;
B) las blancas tienen ventaja;
C) la posición está equilibrada.

Tiene la solución aquí, pero antes de mirarla, le sugerimos que reflexione sobre el problema

Versión más grande del diagrama

Juegan negras

quinta-feira, 1 de outubro de 2009

Calendário de eventos enxadrísticos - Outubro 2009

Retirado do site Clubedexadrez.com.br.

Calendário de outubro

Atualizado em 01/10 às 11h05 - Nuara Hayra Barreto e Máximo Yack Macedo, campeões potiguares de 2009 - Brasileiro Escolar em Araxá, Regional Sul Brasileiro em Porto Alegre e Campeonato Paulista Absoluto em Itapetininga serão os destaques do próximo fim de semana - jornal "O Estado de São Paulo" está sob censura há 62 dias" - ótimo mês de outubro a todos!

26 a 4/10: IRT Tabuleiro Cultural - fechado, 9 jogadores, em andamento. Liderança de Luiz Gulherme Abdalla - São Paulo

26 a 1/10: Torneio Internacional Itapeningano - Grupos A e B - SP - em andamento

1 a 4: Regional Sul do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto - classifica 1 jogador da região para a Semifinal - premiação: R$7.000,00 ($1.500,00 ao campeão) - Porto Alegre

1 a 3: Final do Circuito Santacruzense - Santa Cruz do Sul - RS

2 a 4: Campeonato Paulista Absoluto/Etapa do Aberto do Brasil - duas vagas para a Semifinal do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto - premiação: R$6.400,00 ($2.000,00 ao campeão) - Itapetininga

2 a 4: Campeonato Brasileiro Escolar - Araxá - MG

2 a 4: Campeonato Cearense do Interior - Quixadá

2 a 4: Zonal do Espírito Santo - classificatório para a Semifinal do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto - para jogadores com rating Fide até 2199 - Santa Maria do Jetibá

3 e 4: Etapa de Duque de Caxias do Circuito Regional Fluminense - classificatório para os Campeonatos Carioca ou Do Interior, conforme a filiação - premiação: R$1.000,00

3: 4ª etapa da Copa Farias Brito Mirim (Sub 16) - inscrições gratuitas - Fortaleza

3: 5ª etapa da Copa Farias Brito Mirim (Sub 10) - inscrições gratuitas - Fortaleza

3: 3ª etapa da Copa Farias Brito Mirim (Sub 8) - inscrições gratuitas - Fortaleza

3: Torneio do Círio - Belém

4: Etapa do Circuito Paulista Dinâmico - premiação: R$1.000,00 - São Manuel

4: 4ª das 5 etapas do Campeonato Municipal de Rápidas Antonio Garcia Sampaio - premiação: R$60,00 ($30,00 ao campeão) - inscrições: R$5,00 - Barbalha

7 a 12: Competições enxadrísticas dos Jogos Abertos do Interior - São Caetano do Sul - SP

8 a 11: Zonal Potiguar - para jogadores com rating Fide inferior a 2200 - vaga na Semifinal do Brasileiro - Natal

9 a 12: Etapa "Lourenço João Cordioli" do Circuito Aberto do Brasil - vaga na Semifinal do Campeonato Brasileiro - premiação: R45.000,00 ($1.100,00 ao campeão) - Petrolina - SP

9 a 12 Regional Norte - vaga na Semifinal do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto ao melhor cadastrado pela região - Manaus

9 a 12: IRT da Foz do Iguaçu - premiação: R$2.000,00 ($800,00 ao campeão) - PR

10 e 11: Campeonato Cearense do Interior - passagens e hospedagem na Final do Campeonato Cearense Absoluto ao campeão - Quixadá

10 a 12: Final do Campeonato Maranhense Absoluto - São Luis

10 a 12: Final do Campeonato Gaúcho Absoluto

10 a 12: Final do Campeonato Sergipano Absoluto - Aracajú

15 a 18: 8º Aberto de Registro - SP

16 a 2/11: 3º IRT da Federação Bahiana - Salvador

16 e 17: Memorial Humberto Salles - classificatório para torneios de normas GM e MI - Campinas - SP

17 a 25: Campeonato Cearense Absoluto - premiação: R$2.000,00 (metade ao campeão) - Fortaleza

17 e 18: Etapa de Araruama do Circuito Regonal Fluminense - classificatório para os Campeonatos Carioca ou Do Interior, conforme a filiação

23 a 1/11: Final das competições enxadrísticas dos Jogos Abertos do Paraná - Francisco Beltrão

23 a 28: Etapa de Recife do Circuito CBX de torneios de Norma de MI

24 e 25: Campeonato Cearense da Juventude - categorias Sub 20 a sub 8 - Fortaleza

25: Torneio Mensal do Sesc Interlagos - 8ª e penúltima etapa, denominada "Copa Sesc" - inscrições gratuitas e antecipadas pelo e-mail xadrez@interlagos.sescsp.org.br

30 a 4/11: Etapa de João Pessoa do Circuito CBX de torneios de Norma de MI

30 a 2/11: Etapa de Caxambú do Circuito Aberto do Brasil - vaga na Semifinal do Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto - premiação: R$5.000,00 ($1.000,00 ao campeão) - MG 31 a 2/11: Final do Circuito Terra do Sol - Fortaleza

31 a 1/11: Campeonato Petrolinense Mirim - PE