Castling Explained(!)

Castling Explained
By the nice chess lady.

Jean Hoffman, new USCF Executive Director 2013

Jean Hoffman, new USCF Executive Director

Jean has spent her adulthood serving the game of chess. In addition to 9 Queens, she has served as a Manager of Teams and Tournaments and as an Instructor in the Chess-in-the-Schools programs in New York. See Full story 

KIA vs Slav w/Bg4[A07]-TWIC 979

TWIC 979
Grischuk got nothing special from the opening but kept pushing on the kingside until black misplayed the position.

More About Tromso



Grischuk,A (2785) - Bjelobrk,I (2341)
KIA vs Slav w/Bg4[A07]
FIDE World Cup 2013
Tromso NOR (2.4), 12.08.2013

Position 1
The passed f-pawn has been blockaded and black is ready to push the b-pawn. What do you recommend for white?

White to Play

45..Nxb4

GM Finegold Lecture-St Louis CC: Exchange Sacrifice

The Exchange Sacrifice
The St Louis CC lectures are a great way to learn.

GM Ben Finegold explores the exchange sacrifice in a 1994 game between GM Garry Kasparov and GM Alexey Shirov, a game between GM Anatoly Karpov and GM Ulf Andersson and another game between Karpov and GM Veselin Topalov. This is an advanced lecture presented to a live audience at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

BBC Chess Video Parody

Another Kind of Chess

US Open 2013

From USChess
GM Josh Friedel won a tiebreak playoff against GM-elect Mackenzie Molner for the title of US Open. Also tied for first was GM Julio Sadorra. All three scored 8/9 and talked to the US Chess Scoop about their results. 

GM Lenderman, who was leading most of the tournament, talked about his critical final round game vs. Sadorra and Molner's recent improvement.

English Anti-Grunfeld[A16]-TWIC 977

GM Chirila enegetically negated the English Openning in Grunfeld style in the feature game from the Quebec Open.

More About Montreal
Montreal is a city in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the largest city in the province, the second-largest in the country (after Toronto) and the fifteenth-largest in North America. 

Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French(Mont Royal in present French). 

The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.

GM Chirila

Photo-Preotu,R Gallery

Oliva,Kevel (2423) - Chirila,Ioan-Cristian (2528)
English Anti-Grunfeld[A16]
COQ Invitational 2013
Montreal CAN (9.9), 28.07.2013

Position 1
White's central pawn chain restricts Bg7. What do you recommend for black?

Black to Play

17.0-0

Maccabiah 2013(ISR) GM RRs;IM RRs and Open

Maccabiah 2013-Chess Results
There were four RRs, an open and a junior tournament.

Overall results

• GM-1-GM Dvoirys won with 6/9.
• GM-2-GM Avrukh won with 6/9.
• IM-1-WIM Efroimski ,FM Ofir and IM Battaglini shared first with 6.5/9.
• IM-2-IM Kaspi won with 6/9.
• Open-Erenberg, Ariel(ISR) and D'Israel Davy(BRA) were equal first with 7.5/9. Unrated Siegal, Matthew(CAN) finished with 4/9.

Official Site-Intro

Once every four years, the best Jewish sportsmen from all around the world come together to compete in the Maccabiah Games. Some of them even made Aliyah afterwards.

Avrukh(left)-Polar,J(right)

Photo-Official Site

Even though some people still dispute the fact that chess is a sport, the royal game has been recognized as a sport and included in the Maccabiah Games as early as 1935. In fact, it is the most successful branch in Israeli sport, regarding the quantity of world-class achievements. 

GM Polgar,J giving a simul

Photo-Official Site

After a long pause, the chess events in the Maccabiah were renewed in 1977 under the leadership of Almog Burstein, currently General Manager of the Israel Chess Federation. 

GM-1
GM Dvoirys won with 6/9.

The GM groups in rd7

Photo-Official Site

Rk.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.
1	GM	Dvoirys Semen I.	2538	RUS	*	½	1	1	½	0	½	1	1	½	6
2	IM	Raznikov Danny	2489	ISR	½	*	½	1	½	½	½	1	0	1	5.5
3	GM	Finkel Alexander	2500	ISR	0	½	*	½	½	1	1	1	½	½	5.5
4	GM	Mikhalevski Victor	2552	ISR	0	0	½	*	½	1	½	1	1	½	5
5	IM	Givon Asaf	2438	ISR	½	½	½	½	*	1	½	0	½	0	4
6	GM	Ginsburg Gennadi	2513	GER	1	½	0	0	0	*	1	½	0	1	4
7	GM	Diamant Andre	2469	BRA	½	½	0	½	½	0	*	½	1	½	4
8	GM	Gruenfeld Yehuda	2442	ISR	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	*	1	1	4
9	IM	Steinberg Nitzan	2416	ISR	0	1	½	0	½	1	0	0	*	½	3.5
10	IM	Grunberg Mihai-Lucian	2411	ROU	½	0	½	½	1	0	½	0	½	*	3.5

GM-2
GM Avrukh won with 6/9.

Rk.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.
1	GM	Avrukh Boris	2576	ISR	*	½	½	½	0	1	1	½	1	1	6
2	GM	Golod Vitali	2578	ISR	½	*	½	1	½	0	½	1	½	1	5.5
3	IM	Boruchovsky Avital	2441	ISR	½	½	*	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	5.5
4	GM	Novik Maxim	2451	RUS	½	0	½	*	½	½	1	½	1	1	5.5
5	GM	Kantsler Boris	2430	ISR	1	½	½	½	*	½	½	½	½	½	5
6	GM	Vaisser Anatoly	2544	FRA	0	1	½	½	½	*	½	½	1	½	5
7	IM	Szuhanek Ranko	2519	ROU	0	½	½	0	½	½	*	1	½	1	4.5
8	FM	Deutsch Eyal	2380	ISR	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	*	½	1	3.5
9	FM	Bitelmajer Martin	2343	ARG	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	*	½	3
10	WIM	Vasiliev Olga	2296	ISR	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	½	*	1.5

IM-1
WIM Efroimski ,FM Ofir and IM Battaglini shared first with 6.5/9.

IM Group in rd7

Photo-Official site

Rk.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.
1	WIM	Efroimski Marsel	2297	ISR	*	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	½	1	6.5
2	FM	Aharon Ofir	2307	ISR	½	*	½	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	6.5
3	IM	Battaglini Gabriel	2451	FRA	0	½	*	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	6.5
4	IM	Alexikov Alexander	2381	UKR	½	0	1	*	½	½	½	0	1	1	5
5		Mindlin Alon	2263	ISR	1	0	0	½	*	½	1	½	1	½	5
6	IM	Bitensky Igor	2395	ISR	0	½	0	½	½	*	1	1	1	½	5
7	FM	Ujhazi Ivan	2221	SRB	0	1	0	½	0	0	*	½	½	1	3.5
8		Gal Moshe	2202	ISR	0	0	0	1	½	0	½	*	0	½	2.5
9		Kobo Ori	2307	ISR	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	*	½	2.5
10	WIM	Bezgodova Maria	2187	RUS	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	*	2

IM-2
IM Kaspi won with 6/9.

Rk.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts.
1	IM	Kaspi Alexander	2434	ISR	*	0	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	½	6
2		Reshef Omer	2235	ISR	1	*	0	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	5.5
3		Gindi Shachar	2278	ISR	½	1	*	0	½	1	0	½	1	1	5.5
4	FM	Arlinsky Uriel	2321	ISR	0	½	1	*	½	½	0	½	1	1	5
5		Gurbanov Andrei	2270	BLR	½	0	½	½	*	0	1	½	1	½	4.5
6	WFM	Shvayger Yuliya	2265	ISR	0	½	0	½	1	*	½	1	½	½	4.5
7	FM	Shutzman Joseph	2253	USA	0	0	1	1	0	½	*	½	½	½	4
8	FM	Litwak Aleksej	2229	GER	0	½	½	½	½	0	½	*	½	½	3.5
9	IM	Porat Ido	2441	ISR	½	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	*	1	3.5
10	IM	Kudischewitsch David	2344	RUS	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	*	3

Open
Erenberg, Ariel(ISR) and D'Israel Davy(BRA) were equal first with 7.5/9. Unrated Siegal, Matthew(CAN) finished with 4/9.

Intense action

Happy group

Photos-Official Site

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.
1		Erenberg Ariel	ISR	1970	7.5
2		D'Israel Davy	BRA	2210	7.5
3		Petrovski Igor	MKD	2185	7
4		Slonimskij Arkadij	ISR	2187	7
5		Poleg Matan	ISR	2058	7
6		Zlotogorsky Itay	ISR	1942	6.5
7		Kumic Filip	SRB	2243	6.5
8		Tartakovsky Daniel	ISR	1951	6.5
9		Orgad Dan	ISR	2017	6.5
10		Petrovski Alexandar	MKD	2226	6.5
11		Hochman Elnathan	ISR	2021	6.5
12	WIM	Bezgodova Svetlana	RUS	2093	6
13		Nareznoy David	ISR	2090	6
14		Klein Boris	ISR	2096	6
15		Lukovski Lev	GER	1889	6
16		Har Even Abir	ISR	2093	6
17		Vaisberg Michael	ISR	2057	6
18		Grujic Danijela	SRB	2124	6
19		Bronfman Shmuel	ISR	2173	6

Interview with FM Alisa Melekhina

2012 U.S. Women's Chess Championships 
Interview with Alisa Melekhina

US Chess Life Online-Impressive

The online edition of Chess Life Online continues to be impressive.

The Old and the New at the Pacific Coast Open

By Randy Hough

July 30, 2013

FM John Bryant(FM with 2 GM norms)

Photo STL Chess Club

'The 18^th edition of Continental Chess's Pacific Coast Open took place July 18-21 at the Sheraton in Agoura Hills, at the west end of the San Fernando Valley. 

It marked a mixture of the "old": a 200+ player turnout - 216, with 90% of the prize fund based on 230 target reached after adjustments, and two U.S. Championship participants, GM Timur Gareev and "FM with two GM norms" John Bryant, tying for first in the 47 player Open section.(more)'

See complete story