Publisher: New In Chess, 2008
Edition: Magazine ISBN: 978-90-5691-229-1 Pages: 106 Language: English
Sofia MTel
Interview
Kramnik-Navara
Baku Grand Prix
Sergey Tiviakov European Champion
Kateryna Lahno European Champion
Malmö Sigeman tournament
Playing on the ICC
Russian team championship
Capablanca Memorial
Hans Ree
Rowson's Reviews
NIC’S Café
Your Move
The Age of the Aquarium? This year’s eye-catching innovation at the MTel Masters was the ‘Aquarium’, a soundproof and air-conditioned glass cage. The grandmasters played their games in near perfect isolation, watched by spectators who could talk freely and didn’t need to switch off their mobile phones. As the winner of the first three elite events in Sofia, Veselin Topalov started out as the top fish, but he too was devoured by an unstoppable Vasily Ivanchuk. The Ukrainian shark won his first five games and finished with the majestic score of 8 out of 10 and a stellar performance rating of 2977. Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam reports from the Bulgarian capital.
Kramnik-Navara 5½-2½ The 2008 CEZ Chess Trophy was an eight-game rapid match in Prague between Russia’s number one Vladimir Kramnik and the strongest Czech grandmaster, David Navara. On the first three days Kramnik smashed his youthful opponent 5-1, but thanks to his tenacity Navara fought back to a 5½-2½ final score.
Baku Grand Prix In Baku the first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix ended in a three-way tie for first between local sensation Vugar Gashimov, Chinese rising star Wang Yue and, yes, him again, top-seed Magnus Carlsen.
What’s in a Name? In the last round of the European Championship in Plovdiv Sergey Tiviakov grit his teeth to defeat Emil Sutovsky and emerge as the new Champion. The women’s section saw Kateryna Lahno claim the second European title in her young career.
Leaving the Basement to Win Sigeman For the 2008 edition of the Sigeman tournament few will have counted Tiger Hillarp Persson among the hot favourites, as a recent change in his opening repertoire made his rating plummet dramatically. But guess what? With the best score ever in Sigeman history (7½ from 9!) the inhabitant of Malmö celebrated a glorious comeback.
Diary of an ICC Addict Almost everyone knows the hazard. It’s been a busy day or maybe there isn’t even an excuse. Anyway, you go online and look for a game in one of the Internet chess clubs. You go there to relax, to play ‘a couple of games’, and the next thing you know is that you’ve been playing for hours on end. Danny Gormally knows all about the temptations of chess on the net, as he describes in graphic detail.
Ural Russian Champions The Russian Team Championship ended in a runaway victory for the obvious favourites of Ural. Three rounds before the end of the championship in Dagomys the race was already decided.
Dominguez Dominates The 43rd Capablanca Memorial was an easy prey for the local top-seed.
Hypermodernism Revisited Moral Victories, a recently published novel by David Lovejoy, is based on the eventful life of Savielly Tartakower. Hans Ree enjoyed the novel, but still eagerly awaits a biography of the great man.
Surprise Weapons Jan Timman takes a look at a weapon that has become an infrequent guest in tournament practice.
Beautiful! Jonathan Rowson believes that we should tell the outside world more about the beauty of chess.
Just Checking Does Tiger Hillarp Persson have a dream?
Did they play your opening?
In this issue games with the following openings were annotated by world class players:
Sicilian Stellwagen-Hillarp Persson, by Hillarp Persson Dominguez-Wojtaszek, by Dominguez Svidler-Morozevich, by Morozevich Morozevich-Ivanchuk, by Ivanchuk Smith-Timman, by Timman Lahno-Cmilyte, by Lahno Cheparinov-Ivanchuk, by Ivanchuk Tiviakov-Sutovsky, by Tiviakov Hillarp Persson-Agrest, by Hillarp Persson Alekseev-Radjabov, by Radjabov
Caro-Kann Shirov-Andreikin, by Shirov Stellwagen-Akesson, by Hillarp Persson
Ruy Lopez Gashimov-Grischuk, by Gashimov
Slav Eljanov-Kamsky, by Eljanov Radjabov-Bu Xiangzhi, by Radjabov Topalov-Bu Xiangzhi, by Topalov Bu Xiangzhi-Cheparinov, by Cheparinov Navara-Kramnik, by Navara
Catalan Kramnik-Navara, by Navara
Queen's Indian Mamedyarov-Carlsen, by Mamedyarov
Grünfeld Indian Topalov-Cheparinov, by Vallejo Wang Yue-Svidler, by Wang Yue
