February 24, 2003

BOLOGAN WINS AEROFLOT OPEN ON TIEBREAKS

THE Moldavian GM Viktor Bologan scored one of his biggest wins of recent years, as a last round victory gave him first on tiebreak ahead of a stellar field at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, one of strongest Open events of all-time.

Bologan, GMs Alexei Aleksandrov and Alexei Fedorov of Belarus and Russia's Peter Svidler all scored 7/9 in the top-rated Group “A”, finishing ahead of a cosmopolitan field of 201 that included 143 grandmasters to tie for first. However, Bologan took the jackpot first prize of $25,000 and trophy on tiebreak (average ELO of his opponents).

On top of the prize money, Bologan also gets an automatic berth into the July elite tournament in Dortmund, Germany. Although the likable Moldavian has been playing in open events of late (as well as acting as a very capable second to FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov), he won't be out of place at Dortmund -- he's had several victories at top-notch round-robins in the past, such as Pamplona (2001), Poikovsky (2001), Tan Chin Nam Cup (2000), Belfort (1999) and the Keres Memorial (1998).

Just a half point behind on 6.5/9 was six Russian GMs, Evgeniy Najer, Alexander Galkin, Sergey Rublevsky, Konstantin Sakaev, Alexey Dreev and Pavel Smirnov. Among the 18 in a multi-tie on 6/9 included leading grandmasters such as Alexander Morozevich, Mikhail Ulibin and Sergey Dolmatov of Russia, Bu Xianghazi of China, Emil Sutovsky of Israel, defending champion Gregory Kaidanov of the US and Julio Granda Zuniga of Peru.

Nearly 500 players from 38 countries, ranging from unrated to grandmasters, took part in the festival, which is split into three groups with a record prize fund for an Open of $150,000. Alexander Shorokhov, a 15-year-old IM from Russia, dominated the 170-player Group “B”, taking the first prize of $6,000 with a score of 7.5/9; Sergei Bairachny of Ukraine likewise dominating Group “C”, with his almost perfect score of 6.5/7 winning the $3,000 first prize.

V Bologan - J Granda Zuniga
Aeroflot Open “A”, (9)
Sicilian Paulsen
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be2 a6 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Be3 Bb4 9.Na4 Bd6 10.g3 Nxe4 11.Bf3 Nf6 12.Nb6 Rb8 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Nc4 Be7 15.Bf4 Qa7 16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.c4 Ne8 18.Nxe8 Kxe8 19.Bxb8 Qxb8 20.Rb1 c5 21.a3 a5 22.Qa4 Qc7 23.Rfd1 f5 24.Rd3 Kf7 25.Qb5 Bf6 26.Rbd1 Rd8 27.Rd6 Bd4 28.R1xd4 cxd4 29.c5 e5 30.Qc4+ Ke7 31.Qd5 Re8 32.Qxe5+, 1-0.

A Fedorov - M Sorokin
Aeroflot Open “A”, (8)
Petroff's Defense
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 0-0 10.Nc3 Be6 11.Ne5 f6 12.Nf3 Kh8 13.a3 Nxc3 14.bxc3 Nc6 15.Nd2 Na5 16.cxd5 Qxd5 17.Re1 Rfe8 18.Bb2 Qc6 19.Bd3 Bf7 20.Qc2 h6 21.c4 Bf8 22.d5 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Qd7 24.Bf5 Qd6 25.Bg6 Bg8 26.Qc3 b6 27.Ne4 Qd8 28.Re3 Nb7 29.Rh3 Bh7 30.Bxh7 Kxh7 31.Qd3 Kg8 32.Rxh6 gxh6 33.Nxf6+ Kf7 34.Qf5 Nc5 35.Ne4+ Ke8 36.Qg6+ Kd7 37.Nxc5+ Kc8 38.Qc6, 1-0.

A Aleksandrov - A Lugovoi
Aeroflot Open “A”, (6)
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Nge2 c6 8.0-0 Re8 9.f3 c5 10.a3 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nc6 12.Ra2 Qc7 13.Ng3 Be6 14.Bb1 Rac8 15.Raf2 Qd7 16.Qd3 h6 17.Rd1 Rc7 18.Bb2 Na5 19.e4 dxe4 20.fxe4 Bc4 21.Qf3 Ng4 22.Rfd2 Bb3 23.Nf5 Bxd1 24.Rxd1 h5 25.h3 Nf6 26.e5 Nh7 27.Nd6 Rf8 28.d5 b5 29.c4 Nxc4 30.Nxc4 bxc4 31.e6 fxe6 32.Bxh7+ Kxh7 33.Qxf8 exd5 34.Be5 Rc8 35.Rxd5, 1-0.

Z Efimenko - G Kaidanov
Aeroflot Open “A”, (5)
Open Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Be3 Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.Re1 Na5 12.Bc2 Nc4 13.Bc1 Bc5 14.Nd4 Nxf2 15.Kxf2 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Bg4 17.Re2 Bxe2 18.Qxe2 Bxd4+ 19.cxd4 Qxd4+ 20.Qf2 Qxf2+ 21.Kxf2 Nxe5 22.Bf4 Rfe8 23.Nc3 Rad8 24.h3 d4 25.Ne4 Ng6 26.Bg5 Rd5 27.h4 d3 28.Bb3 Rf5+ 29.Ke3 Rfe5 30.Kxd3 Rxe4 31.Rf1 Nh8 32.Bd5 Re1 33.Rxe1 Rxe1 34.b4 Ng6 35.Kd4 h6 36.Bd2 Rd1 37.Kc3 Nxh4 38.Bb7 Nf5 39.Bxa6 Nd6 40.Kd4, 0-1.

V Bologan - P Smirnov
Aeroflot Open “A”, (3)
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 d6 10.a3 Nb8 11.Nbd2 Nbd7 12.Nf1 Nc5 13.Ba2 Ne6 14.Ng3 Re8 15.Ng5 Bc8 16.Nf5 Bf8 17.f4 g6 18.Qf3 Rb8 19.fxe5 dxe5 20.Nh6+ Bxh6 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.Bxh6 Bxa2 23.Rxa2 Nd7 24.Rf1 Qe7 25.b4 Rb6 26.Bg5 Qe6 27.Raa1 c5 28.c3 Rc6 29.Bd2 Rd6 30.Bh6 Rc8 31.a4 bxa4 32.Rxa4 cxb4 33.cxb4 Rc3 34.Qf2 Rb6 35.b5 Nc5 36.Ra3 Nxd3 37.Qh4, 1-0.

M Gagunashvili - A Morozevich
Aeroflot Open “A”, (2)
Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 a5 7.e3 Be7 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qe2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nd5 12.Bf4 Nxf4 13.exf4 Nb6 14.Bb3 Nd5 15.g3 f5 16.Rfe1 Bf6 17.Rad1 Bd7 18.Ne5 Re8 19.Na2 Re7 20.Nc1 Be8 21.Ncd3 h6 22.h4 Kh7 23.Nc5 b6 24.Ncd3 Rc8 25.h5 Rcc7 26.Bc2 c5 27.dxc5 bxc5 28.g4 c4 29.Nc1 Kg8 30.gxf5 Qc8 31.fxe6 Nxf4 32.Qg4 Nxe6 33.Bf5 Rc5 34.Rd6 Qc7 35.Bxe6+ Kf8 36.Qd4 Rxe5 37.Rxe5 Bxh5 38.Rf5 Rf7 39.Qd5 Bg6 40.Qa8+, 1-0.

SHORT vs. MAGHAMI MATCH

THE game of chess has had a long and chequered history in Iran. Along with India and China, it can lay claims to the games origins nearly 2,000 years ago.

Even the first mention of chess in literature appeared in a Persian poem some fourteen hundred years ago, and the object of the game, "checkmate", derives from the Persian "shah", for king, and "mat", meaning helpless or defeated.

Yet, despite this long connection with the royal game, Iran holds the distinction of being one of the few countries in the world to have banned chess, as Ayatollah Khomeini, during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, outlawed the game. However, much like alcohol, gambling, sex and opium, chess didn't really disappear; it simply went underground to avoid detection.

It's only recently under a more moderate administration that the game has been allowed to flourish again -- Tehran being the surprise venue in 2001 for the final of the FIDE World Championship match between Vishy Anand and Alexei Shirov. However, there still remain pockets of opposition. Hard line ayatollahs in the city of Kashan very publicly imposed a "fatwa" a couple of years ago reaffirming the ban on the game, as they burned chessboards in protest.

A six-game match between Iran's sole grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem-Maqami and Britain's Nigel Short recently ended in Tehran. The match was staged as part of the 10-Day Dawn celebrations to mark the victory of the Islamic Revolution, with former world championship challenger Short comfortably winning the match 4-2 (two wins and four draws) to take the $5,000 winners purse.

E Ghaem Maghami - N Short
Tehran match, (4)
Reti's Opening
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 Bg4 4.Qb3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 c6 6.e3 e5 7.Qg3 Nd7 8.Bb2 Nh6 9.Bd3 Qf6 10.c5 a5 11.a3 Be7 12.0-0 0-0 13.f4 Rfd8 14.exd4 exd4 15.Nc3 Nxc5 16.bxc5 dxc3 17.Bxc3 Bxc5+ 18.Kh1 Bd4 19.Rab1 b5 20.Be4 Nf5 21.Qh3 g6 22.Bxf5 Qxf5 23.Qxf5 gxf5 24.Rfc1 Ra6 25.Rb2 Bxc3 26.Rxc3 b4 27.axb4 axb4 28.Rc1 c5 29.h3 Ra5 30.Rc4 Rb5 31.Kg1 f6 32.Kf2 Kf7 33.Rbc2 b3 34.Rb2 Rd4 35.Rc3 Rxf4+ 36.Ke3 Re4+ 37.Kf3 Reb4 38.Re3 c4 39.Rc3 Rd5 40.Ke2 h5 41.d3 Rxd3 42.Rxc4 Rxc4 43.Kxd3 Rb4 44.Kc3 Rb8 45.Kd4 h4 46.Kd3 Kg6 47.Ke3 Kg5 48.Kf3 f4 49.Ke4 Rb7, 0-1.

PLANS FIRM UP FOR KASPAROV-PONOMARIOV MATCH

THE first stage of the Prague Agreement to unify two rival chess crowns looks set to be implemented, as FIDE announce details of an Argentinean match-up between world no.1 Garry Kasparov and FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov.

In a joint news conference in Moscow on Tuesday with Kasparov, FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced that the $1 million Kasparov-Ponomariov match will take place June 19-July 7 in the chess-mad city of Buenos Aires. The victor will then go forward to meet the winner of a match between Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, the Classical World Champion who won the crown from Kasparov in 2000, and his Hungarian challenger Peter Leko.

No details have emerged yet about proposals for the Kramnik-Leko match, but recently Steve Timmins, the CEO of Einstein TV, the company who own the rights to the Kramnik crown, announced that they were in negotiations with two locations with sponsorship for the match to be held on schedule in 2003. Ilyumzhinov said that the venue for this match is likely to become clearer at the upcoming FIDE Presidential Council meeting in Bucharest, as representatives of both players will be in attendance.

A potentially lucrative unifying match (reputed to have a value on it of $3 million) between the winners of the Kasparov-Ponomariov and Leko-Kramnik matches will probably also take place in Buenos Aires or even New York, Ilyumzhinov added.

PONOMARIOV, SIGNING AWAY HIS RIGHTS!?

FOLLOWING a lengthy meeting with FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov at his Moscow office late last week, it now looks as if the young Ukrainian World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov was made an offer he couldn't refuse in the long drawn out saga over whether he would defend his title against Garry Kasparov as part of the Prague unification process.

The heavy-handed FIDE tactics used against Ponomariov by "threatening" to first of all strip him of his title whilst he was competing at Wijk aan Zee was roundly criticized in all circles. A meeting between FIDE and Ponomariov at a later date to finally sort out the match was therefore arranged, which has now taken place. However the omens don't look too promising.

According to reports, the meeting started at six in the evening, and didn't finish till six the next morning(!), after the 19-year-old champion, hardly able to speak any more, apparently conceding to all demands and agreed to play the announced match against Kasparov. In a brief press release, FIDE confirmed that, "World Chess Champion Ruslan Ponomariov reaffirmed his willingness to defend his title against World no. 1 rated player Garry Kasparov under the Match Regulations as approved by the FIDE President and the Presidential Board of FIDE."

Ponomariov is believed to have withdrawn his earlier demands (draw odds and FIDE time control) and in exchange was somehow assured that the Ponomariov-Kasparov and Kramnik-Leko matches would be played using the same criteria. However there could well be a contradiction here for Ponomariov by signing away his rights, as it's widely believed that the regulation would not apply to the Kramnik-Leko match.

VESCOVI VICTORIOUS IN BERMUDA

THE American humorist Mark Twain once rightly observed that "Sometimes a dose of Bermuda is just what the doctor ordered." This could go a long way in explaining the popularity of the annual Bermuda Chess Festival.

As tournaments go, they don't come anymore idyllic than an invitation to play on the tropical paradise island, which not surprisingly was a recent recipient of the FIDE award for the best invitational tournament.

The 20th edition of the Festival was organized as efficiently as ever by the Bermuda Chess Association, in the guise of two ex-pat tax exiles from the City, Nick Faulks and Nigel Freeman, and featured two Grandmaster groups, a blitz tournament and, bolstered by an influx of players jetting in from the U.S., culminating with a Weekend Open.

The Bermuda Invitationals recently ended with the fifth strongest tournament ever in the Americas. Surprisingly, the ultra-strong GM “A” (category 9, with an average rating of 2601) was won by Giovanni Vescovi of Brazil, who played the tournament of his life to take outright first with a final score of 8/11, taking the $4,000 first prize by a half a point ahead of top-seed Peter Svidler from Russia.

In the Grandmaster “B” event (category 10, with an average rating of 2478), Daniel Fridman of Latvia took the first prize of $1,500 on 8/11, a half a point ahead of 15-year-old Hikaru Nakamura, who nevertheless got the conciliation prize of his third and final GM norm to become the youngest ever U.S. Grandmaster, thus beating Bobby Fischer's 44-year-old age record.

GM “A”: 1 GM G Vescovi (Brazil) 8/11; 2 GM P Svidler (Russia) 7.5; 3 GM
T Markowski (Poland) 7; 4 GM A Motylev (Russia) 6; 5 GM K Miton (Poland) 5.5; 6-8 GM B Macieja (Poland), GM S Movsesian (Slovenia), GM A Volokitin, (Ukraine) 5; 9-10 GM A Gershon (Israel), GM A Shabalov (USA) 4.5; 11-12 GM L Christiansen (USA), 12 GM M Al-Modiahki (Qatar) 4.

GM “B”: 1 GM D Fridman (Latvia) 8/11; 2 IM H Nakamura (USA) 7.5; 3 IM E Perelshteyn (USA) 7; 4 GM R Schmaltz (Germany) 6.5; 5-6 IM C Moreno
(Spain), IM E Berg (Sweden) 5.5; 7-9 IM G Seul (Germany), GM H Kallio
(Finland), IM W Paschall (USA) 5; 10 IM V Dinstuhl (Germany) 4.5; 11 GM
P Blatny (Czech Republic) 3.5; 12 IM M Mulyar (USA) 3.

A Volokitin - G Vescovi
Bermuda GM 'A", (5)
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3
0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a4 h6 13.Bc2 exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.Bb1 c5 16.d5 Nd7 17.Ra3 f5 18.Nh2 c4 19.Rg3 Nc5 20.exf5 Rxe1+ 21.Qxe1 Nbd3 22.Bxd3 Nxd3 23.Qe6+ Kh8 24.Ng4 Qe8 25.Re3 Qxe6 26.dxe6 Be7 27.Nb3 bxa4 28.Na5 Nxc1 29.Nxb7 Rb8 30.Na5 c3 31.bxc3 a3 32.c4 a2 33.Ra3 d5 34.Ra4 Rb4 35.Rxa2 Nxa2 36.cxd5 Nc3 37.Ne3 Rb1+ 38.Kh2 Rb5 39.Nc6 Bd6+ 40.f4 Nxd5 41.Nxd5 Rxd5 42.e7 Bxe7 43.Nxe7 Rc5 44.Kg3 a5 45.Kg4 a4 46.Kh5 a3 47.Kg6 a2 48.Kf7 Rc7, 0-1.

February 12, 2003

NAKAMURA: YOUNGEST AMERICAN GRANDMASTER

SINCE Bobby Fischer's more or less self-imposed retirement from the game after winning the world title in 1972, Americans have been continually searching for his successor.

The most celebrated is unquestionably Josh Waitzkin, whose eminent rise through the notoriously tough junior competitions to become a leading contender was memorably chronicled by his journalist father, Fred, in his compelling memoir "Searching For Bobby Fischer"; a book that went on to become a major Hollywood film starring Joe Mantegna, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne.

The latest wunderkind to follow in Fischer's footsteps is Hikaru Nakamura, 15, from the City of White Plains, New York. Nakamura started playing tournament chess in 1995 at the age of 7. Whilst reading the Guinness Book of World Records at 9, he made a chance discovery that he had only three months to beat a record by becoming America's youngest National Master -- so he decided to do something about it. After breaking this record, he then progressed to become (at 11) the youngest player in the world to beat a grandmaster in serious tournament praxis.

Now, playing only last week at his favorite hunting ground of the Bermuda International (scene of his first GM norm last year), Nakamura earned his third and final GM norm by scoring 7.5-3.5 (six wins, three draws and two loses) to finish in clear second place in the Invitational GM 'B' tournament -- in the process, breaking a long-standing Fischer record of some 44 years to now become the youngest American player to attain the hallowed title of Grandmaster.

M Mulyar - H Nakamura
Bermuda GM 'B', (11)
Sicilian Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qf3 Nbd7 8.Be2
Qc7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.a3 Bb7 11.Bg5 Rc8 12.Bd3 Be7 13.Qg3 Qd8 14.Bd2 Ne5 15.Kb1 0-0 16.h4 Nfd7 17.Bg5 Rxc3 18.bxc3 Nb6 19.Bc1 Na4 20.Ne2 Qc7 21.f4 Nd7 22.Qe3 Bf6 23.Bd2 Rc8 24.g4 d5 25.e5 Be7 26.Bc1 d4 27.cxd4 Bxh1 28.Rxh1 b4 29.Qe4 g6 30.Ka2 bxa3 31.f5 Rb8 32.c4 Ndc5 33.dxc5 Nxc5 34.Qf3 Qxe5 35.Bxa3 Nxd3 36.Qxd3 Bxa3 37.Nc3 Qa5 38.Qc2 Rb2+ 39.Qxb2 Bxb2+ 40.Kxb2 Qb4+, 0-1.

February 11, 2003

KOTRONIAS & SHORT ROCK GIBRALTAR

THE inaugural GibTelecom Masters in Gibraltar was won jointly by Cypriot GM Vasilios Kotronias and his Athens neighbor GM Nigel Short, who both won £3,250 after finishing joint first on 7.5/10.

Good fortune (at long last!) finally shone on IM John Shaw from Kilmarnock, who not only took home £1,250 for his share of equal third with Croatian Mladen Palac on a score of 7, but also achieved his first GM norm in the strangest of circumstances. Needing a win in the final round with black against Jim Plaskett, Shaw was comprehensively lost come the time control.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), after move 40, Plaskett decided to compose himself after a frantic time scramble with a break, came back to the board to decide on his next move, only to be interrupted by the arbiter to inform him that he’d lost on time! Even after playing ten rounds, Plaskett had managed to forget that the time control for the tournament was all the moves in 2 hours, with a 30 seconds increment for each move from the first.

Regardless of the circumstances, no other players richly deserve some good fortune than Shaw, who has had his fair share of bad luck in the past to narrowly miss out on his ‘elusive’ first norm. He is now set to become Scotland’s fourth Grandmaster behind Motwani, McNab and Rowson, and only requires a further two norms to attain the hallowed title. His next big chance comes later this month in France, as he makes the annual pilgrimage to the Cappelle le Grande tournament.

J Plaskett - J Shaw
GibTelecom Masters, (10)
Reti’s Opening
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.0-0 Bf5 5.d3 e6 6.Nbd2 h6 7.b3 Be7 8.Bb2 0-0 9.c4 a5 10.a3 Bh7 11.Bc3 Na6 12.Qc2 c5 13.e4 Nc7 14.Rae1 Nd7 15.Bb2 Bd6 16.cxd5 exd5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Ne5 N7b6 19.Ndc4 f6 20.Nxd6 Qxd6 21.Nc4 Qc7 22.Be4 f5 23.Be5 Qd7 24.Bh1 f4 25.Nxb6 Nxb6 26.Qxc5 Ra6 27.Bxf4 Rxf4 28.gxf4 Bxd3 29.f5 Bxf1 30.Kxf1 Qd3+ 31.Kg1 Nd7 32.Qd5+ Qxd5 33.Bxd5+ Kf8 34.Bxb7 Rd6 35.Re3 Rd1+ 36.Kg2 Ra1 37.Bc6 Nf6 38.b4 axb4 39.axb4 Rb1 40.b5 Rb2 41.Kf3 Kf7, 0-1.

February 10, 2003

KASPAROV vs. DEEP JUNIOR

"NO computer will ever be able to beat a 10-year-old boy at chess", foolishly predicted the scientist Herbert Dreyfus in the mid 1960s. Garry Kasparov lost like a child in New York against IBM's Deep Blue in 1997 and it was hailed to be the twilight of the grandmasters.

Deep Blue not only beat Kasparov in a defining moment for the march of the machines; it also wounded the world No.1 psychologically, provoking him into uncharacteristic blunders and reduced him to tantrums with claims of "human interference" during critical stages of the match.

Six years on, and still smarting from that historic debacle, Kasparov again puts his reputation on the line in New York with yet another computer challenge, as he attempts to prove that "human players are not hopeless." Kasparov takes on the Israeli-built program Deep Junior in a $1 million Man vs. Machine match at the New York Athletic Club, running January 26 to February 7.

For the first time the match will be sanctioned by world chess federation FIDE, who have endorsed the six-game showdown as the first Man vs. Machine World Championship match. While Kasparov is regarded as the greatest player in history who has held the No.1 spot for 18 years, Deep Junior -- which hasn't lost to a human in two years and still has been tweaked along the way -- is the reigning World Computer Chess champion.

WORLD No.1 Garry Kasparov went a long way towards finally exorcising the ghost of his defeat at the hands of IBM's Deep Blue, as he sensationally crushed the three-time World Chess Computer champion Deep Junior in just 27 moves in the opening game of the FIDE Man vs. Machine World Championship challenge in New York.

Despite the ease of his victory, Kasparov, who valuates Deep Junior to being stronger than Deep Blue, is still taking nothing for granted in the six-game $1 million match taking place at the New York Athletic Club. "I don't want this to be a mirror image of the last match when I won the first game and lost the second game," Kasparov said after the win, referring to his historic 1997 encounter with IBM's Deep Blue where eventually the strain got to Kasparov.

And stamina while playing a computer may be the deciding factor in this match. In October last year, Vladimir Kramnik, the player who snatched Kasparov's world crown, took on rival program Deep Fritz in a similar $1 million match in Bahrain. After effortlessly moving into a 3-1 lead, the current world champion drew the match most thought he would easily win as the strain of continually having to find the most accurate move against the computer took its toll.

The word "Deep" in front of the names of the programs means they run on parallel processors. Deep Junior calculates roughly three million moves per second, compared to Deep Blue's 200-300 million, but Junior is far more flexible in its decision-making and understands more abstract concepts than its IBM counterpart.

However, in the first game the only thing "Deep" about the Israeli-designed program was the trouble it got itself into from very early in the opening. Perhaps surprised by Kasparov eschewing the cautious "anti-computer" strategy that led to his downfall six years ago, Deep Junior soon found itself being crushed by the world No.1's trademark aggressive style at the board, as he adopted one of the most dangerous lines -- the Shabalov Variation -- in the Semi-Slav. The programmers may now have to do some early repair work on the computers opening book -- instead of 9 …e5, safer is the line with 9 ..Bb7.

G Kasparov - DEEP JUNIOR
FIDE Man-Machine, (1)
Semi-Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 dxc4 8.Bxc4 b6 9.e4 e5 10.g5 Nh5 11.Be3 0-0 12.0-0-0 Qc7 13.d5 b5 14.dxc6 bxc4 15.Nb5 Qxc6 16.Nxd6 Bb7 17.Qc3 Rae8 18.Nxe8 Rxe8 19.Rhe1 Qb5 20.Nd2 Rc8 21.Kb1 Nf8 22.Ka1 Ng6 23.Rc1 Ba6 24.b3 cxb3 25.Qxb3 Ra8 26.Qxb5 Bxb5 27.Rc7, 1-0.

DESPITE having the better of the complications in game two of the $1 million FIDE Man vs. Machine challenge in New York against Deep Junior,
Garry Kasparov opted for the safety of a draw to lead the six-game match
1.5/0.5.

In the second game Kasparov again took on the computer by steering the game towards his trademark complications of a very tactical struggle --something that would usually favor the silicone beast -- as he sacrificed the exchange for a strong attack. At the crucial moment of the game, Kasparov looked to be on the verge of a second successive victory, but erred with 25...Qa1+. He only realized a few moves later that the all-calculating computer could force a perpetual with a cunning queen sacrifice. In the press conference afterwards, Kasparov said that he thought he had a forced win with the queen check, but that in hindsight 25...f4 would have been stronger.

In Kasparov's epic struggles against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in
1996 (then Deep Thought) and 1997, the winner of the second game went on to win the overall match. Kasparov faded after losing at this stage six years ago, troubled psychologically by analysis that later showed he missed an opportunity to draw the game. The Deep Blue phenomenon still to this day troubles Kasparov, and he more or less admitted so after the game: "The whole plan worked, but because of this spell on game two [from 1997], this pressure on me, I spent probably an extra half an hour to decide if I should save a draw or provoke more complications," Kasparov told reporters and spectators at the New York Athletic Club.

Many still ask to this day whatever happened to the epoch-making Deep Blue? Despite creating history by becoming the first computer to pass the litmus test as it controversially defeated a reigning world champion, Deep Blue ended its formal playing days on a high with its last game against Kasparov; who up to that defining moment had never lost in a match-play situation.

IBM, for reasons not made fully public, chose to close the scientific experiment that it had begun more than 30 years earlier. Perhaps it was concerned that Deep Blue would not win the next time. As hinted publicly by one corporate official, IBM may have simply decided to quit while it was ahead. Another reason there was no rematch could have been Kasparov's outburst made after his defeat, of IBM "cheating" with claims the computer might have received human hints during critical stages of the match.

In contrast to the omnipresent Kasparov, Deep Blue has now “officially” become a relic of the past. In late October of last year, one of the two 1.4 ton refrigerator-sized towers, which housed the specially designed chips of the computer that defeated Kasparov, was donated by IBM to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. as part of the museum's permanent exhibition, "Information Age: People, Information and Technology."

"Few computers have attained the historical notoriety of Deep Blue. It is a classic artifact in the ongoing historical comparison between the powers of humans and the powers of computing machines," said David Allison, chair of the museum's Division of Information Technology and Society on its admission. Sadly the only visible difference between this tower and several other IBM towers was a simple home-made sticker with the recurring Kasparov nightmare of "Deep Blue" printed on it, and stuck to the side of the black monolith.

DEEP JUNIOR - G Kasparov
FIDE Man-Machine, (2)
Sicilian Kan
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Ba7 7.c4 Nc6 8.Nc3 d6 9.0-0 Nge7 10.Re1 0-0 11.Be3 e5 12.Nd5 a5 13.Rc1 a4 14.Bxa7 Rxa7 15.Nd2 Nd4 16.Qh5 Ne6 17.Rc3 Nc5 18.Bc2 Nxd5 19.exd5 g6 20.Qh6 f5 21.Ra3 Qf6 22.b4 axb3 23.Rxa7 bxc2 24.Rc1 e4 25.Rxc2 Qa1+ 26.Nf1 f4 27.Ra8 e3 28.fxe3 fxe3 29.Qxf8+ Kxf8 30.Rxc8+ Kf7, draw.

HUMAN frailty cost Garry Kasparov dearly in game three of the $1 million FIDE Man vs. Machine challenge, as Deep Junior pounced on a typical human error to draw level with the world No.1 at the half-way stage of their six-game match being hosted at the New York Athletic Club.

Kasparov's furious reaction at the board when he realized his mistake left no doubt how costly the blunder had been, after yet again having the better of the game against the computer. Kasparov carelessly walked into a mate in five after 32 Rh5, which he thought was simply drawing. However 32...Nxd4! turns out to be a winner for the silicon beast, as 33 Ng6+ Kg8 34 Ne7+ Kf8!, and now if 35 Rxh7 Nb3+!! 36 Kc2 (36 axb3 Qd1 mate) 36...Na1+ 37 Kc3 Qd2+ 38 Kc4 b5+ 39 Kc5 Qd6 mate.

Kasparov, whose battles with the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1996 and 1997 drew worldwide attention, has vowed to avenge his defeat to the machine six years ago, but now faces a sense of Deep Blue deja vu with a tough psychological struggle as the tension rises going into the decisive second half of the match -- He's worried; the computer isn't.

Whoever wins this match, the days when humans can compete on a level playing field with computers could be numbered. Humans cling to the hope that their intuition and pattern-recognition abilities will offset the computer's raw calculating prowess. But software programs are getting better and better, and (just like Kasparov in his 1997 match with Deep Blue, and now his latest game with Deep Junior) they crucially do not succumb to fatigue, loss of focus, impatience or emotional ups and downs.

G Kasparov - DEEP JUNIOR
FIDE Man-Machine, (3)
Semi-Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 Be7 9.Bd2 0-0 10.g4 Nxg4 11.Rg1 Ndf6 12.h3 Nh6 13.e4 dxe4 14.Bxh6 exd3 15.Rxg7+ Kh8 16.Qxd3 Rg8 17.Rxg8+ Nxg8 18.Bf4 f6 19.0-0-0 Bd6 20.Qe3 Bxf4 21.Qxf4 Bxh3 22.Rg1 Qb8 23.Qe3 Qd6 24.Nh4 Be6 25.Rh1 Rd8 26.Ng6+ Kg7 27.Nf4 Bf5 28.Nce2 Ne7 29.Ng3 Kh8 30.Nxf5 Nxf5 31.Qe4 Qd7 32.Rh5 Nxd4 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Ne7+ Kf8 35.Nd5 Qg7 36.Qxd4 Rxd5, 0-1.

WORLD No.1 Garry Kasparov brought back an old favorite of the Sicilian Hedgehog from his world championship battles of yore with archrival Anatoly Karpov, as he attempted to lure Deep Junior down a complex maneuvering path in the hope of outwitting the computer.

However, in a six-hour epic played out to a full house at the exclusive New York Athletic Club in Manhattan, the silicon beast proved to be more than a match for Kasparov as the longest game of the contest so far ended in a hard-fought 61-move draw.

Both Kasparov, 39, considered to be the greatest player in the history of the game, and Deep Junior, the three-time world computer chess champion, now have two points each with just two games left to play in the $1m six-game FIDE Man vs. Machine Ultimate World Championship match.

Kasparov, who is eager to win the match in order to erase the bitter memory of his 1997 shock loss to IBM's Deep Blue, told reporters after the game that, "he firmly believes that Deep Junior has problems playing black," -- and heavily hinted he was ready to "put everything on the line" on Wednesday, when he has white for the final time in this intriguing showdown between man and machine.

DEEP JUNIOR - G Kasparov
FIDE Man-Machine, (4)
Sicilian Hedgehog
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 Nd7 9.Nc2 Be7 10.Be2 b6 11.0-0 Bb7 12.h3 0-0 13.Be3 Rc8 14.Qd2 Nce5 15.b3 Nf6 16.f3 Qc7 17.Rac1 Rfe8 18.a3 Ned7 19.Rfd1 Qb8 20.Bf2 Rcd8 21.b4 Ba8 22.a4 Rc8 23.Rb1 Qc7 24.a5 bxa5 25.b5 Bb7 26.b6 Qb8 27.Ne3 Nc5 28.Qa2 Nfd7 29.Na4 Ne5 30.Nc2 Ncd7 31.Nd4 Red8 32.Kh1 Nc6 33.Nxc6 Rxc6 34.Kg1 h6 35.Qa3 Rdc8 36.Bg3 Bf8 37.Qc3 Ne5 38.c5 Nd7 39.Qxa5 Nxc5 40.Nxc5 Rxc5 41.Qa4 R5c6 42.Bf2 d5 43.Bxa6 Bc5 44.Bxc5 Rxc5 45.Bxb7 Qxb7 46.exd5 exd5 47.Qa7 R5c7 48.Qxb7 Rxb7 49.Rxd5 Rc6 50.Rdb5 h5 51.Kf2 Re6 52.f4 g6 53.Kg3 Kg7 54.Kh4 Kh6 55.R1b4 Rd6 56.g3 f6 57.g4 hxg4 58.hxg4 Kg7 59.Rb3 Rc6 60.g5 f5 61.Rb1, draw.

THERE’S a dangerous sense of Deep Blue déjà vu in the New York air for Garry Kasparov, as the world number one was held to a draw by Deep Junior in the penultimate game of their $1m FIDE Man vs. Machine match, which is now tied 2.5-2.5.

While Kasparov was determined to win his last white game against the computer to avenge his defeat six years earlier to IBM’s Deep Blue, the latest incarnation of the silicon beast had other ideas as it clearly “stunned” the world’s strongest-ever player with a speculative “Greek gift” sacrifice as early as move ten and with half its pieces still on the original starting position!

Such was the shock of the audacious sacrifice so early in the game that for many of the spectators and pundits at the match venue of the New York Athletic Club, it almost seemed as if Kasparov had badly blundered as he had in 1997 when he lost the final game to Deep Blue. It is still unclear if the combination was sound, but Kasparov admitted after the game that “I didn’t feel comfortable at all.” Instead preferring to opt for a draw by repetition to keep the scores level.

The critical line to avoid the repetition of moves was 16 g3 Nh2+ 17 Kf2 Ng4+ 18 Ke1 Qh3 19 Rg1 Nd7 20 Kd1 Ndf6, and white holds onto the extra piece but at what price? There’s no clear route to victory and he does have great difficulties in unraveling his position.

Now, with one game of the six-game match left to be played, Kasparov finds himself in a similar position to 1997: the match tied and the unenviable task of playing black against a computer in the final game. “The last game is very difficult for a human. It is a great burden on my shoulders," said an emotional Kasparov after the game. "I only hope I can do better than in '97.”

The match will now be decided by the final game to be played on Friday, starting at 3.30pm Eastern Standard Time (12.30pm PST, 8.30pm GMT). Such is the interest now in Kasparov’s latest duel with the computer, top US Cable Sports Channel ESPN2 have announced they will be transmitting four hours of live coverage on the final day.

G Kasparov Deep Junior
FIDE Man-Machine, (5)
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Nge2 Re8 8.0-0 Bd6 9.a3 c6 10.Qc2 Bxh2+ 11.Kxh2 Ng4+ 12.Kg3 Qg5 13.f4 Qh5 14.Bd2 Qh2+ 15.Kf3 Qh4 16.Bxh7+ Kh8 17.Ng3 Nh2+ 18.Kf2 Ng4+ 19.Kf3 Nh2+, draw.

MANKIND lives to fight another day in the battle of wits with the machines, as world number one Garry Kasparov and three-time world computer chess champion Deep Junior ended their $1m six-game Man v Machine FIDE World Championship match held at the New York Athletic Club with a draw, to tie the series at 3-3.

For the first time in the match Kasparov bravely decided to opt for his trademark Sicilian Najdorf, and equalized with ease as Deep Junior somewhat surprisingly eschewed all the wild complications of the main line that would normally favor the unlimited analytical capabilities of a computer. After nearly four hours of intense play, Kasparov made a breakthrough with a thematic exchange sacrifice, only to surprisingly follow this up with a draw offer. Deep Junior turned it down but five moves later returned the offer, and Kasparov readily accepted -- to boos from the capacity crowd who thought he had the better of the position.

Still smarting from his defeat six years ago to IBM's Deep Blue, also in New York, Kasparov opted for safety rather than valor. "I had one item on my agenda today: not to lose," Kasparov said after Friday's finale. "And a draw was a good result." He said the strain of the series' five other games and "dangerous reminiscences" of his fatal encounter with Deep Blue, seen by some as a watershed moment in technological advancement, weighed heavily on his mind.

This was the second Man v Machine contest in the last four months, Kasparov's nemesis Vladimir Kramnik battled the program Deep Fritz to a 4-4 draw in Bahrain last October and also found the pressures of playing a silicon opponent that plays some elements of the game perfectly and some abjectly, a considerable strain.

Both the programmers Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky took home half the price fund of $250,000, with Kasparov received the same amount plus his 'sweetener' of $500,000 for his appearance fee. The Israeli's claimed their program, which runs on a simple PC, is better than Deep Blue which was backed up by hundreds of parallel processors and needed its own room. We will never know because after Deep Blue's historic victory, its creators mothballed it and it will likely never play again. Recently IBM donated one of the 1.4 ton towers that were specially designed to take on Kasparov to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.

The match also created enormous media interest in New York and was held under the patronage of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, hosted by X3D a new technology company who create three dimensional media and games products, and produced on behalf of FIDE by the redoubtable Serge Grimaux. The match also made a major breakthrough for the game in the USA, as the worldwide interest generated by Kasparov's high-profile tussle with Deep Junior led to one of the main U.S. television sports networks, ESPN2, to carry the sixth and final game live -- no doubt adding further pressure to Kasparov, as they hoped for a repeat of the Deep Blue debacle.

The last time such in-depth live coverage of chess was seen in the U.S. was the infamous Fischer-Spassky cold war of the mind encounter of 1972 that gripped the nation. Lasting three and half-hours, the program was broadcast direct from the match venue -- hosted by a leading ESPN anchor, and ably assisted by the upbeat commentary team of Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley -- and was aired between the more mainstream sports of PGA golf and NBA basketball.

DEEP JUNIOR - Kasparov
FIDE Man-Machine, (6)
Sicilian Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Kh1 Bd7 10.Be3 Bc6 11.Bf3 Nbd7 12.a4 b6 13.Qd3 Bb7 14.h3 Rc8 15.Rad1 h6 16.Rfe1 Qc7 17.g3 Rfd8 18.Kh2 Re8 19.Re2 Qc4 20.Qxc4 Rxc4 21.Nd2 Rc7 22.Bg2 Rec8 23.Nb3 Rxc3 24.bxc3 Bxe4 25.Bc1 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Rxc3 27.Ba3 Ne8 28.f4, ½–½.

BLACK TO MOVE

This is the final position from game six. Black’s superior pawn structure and two pawns for the sacrificed Exchange give him the better long-term chances (28…f6 followed by …Kf7 seems good). Unfortunately, the match ended in an anti-climactic fashion when Kasparov agreed to the draw.

February 6, 2003

BAREEV vs. HIARCSX MATCH IS DRAWN

AS Garry Kasparov stands tied at 2-2 with Deep Junior going into the closing games of a high-profile $1m match in New York, public imagination has again been captured by the spectacle of mankind battling to assert its supremacy over machines.

However, it really doesn't matter whether Kasparov wins his current match, according to experts in artificial intelligence, or AI, who have taken a great interest in the match here in New York. They agree that computer technology is advancing so fast that within a few years machines will be well beyond the chess skills of any human.

Kasparov readily admitted himself that the future looks bleak for the world's elite, due to the relentless march of the machines. Within a generation or two, he says, "any single victory over the computer will be a victory for humanity." But when they defeat the world's best, it will not be merely because of the machines' vast numbers-crunching power. Ultimately, chess computers – and other AI projects – will succeed when they are able to think more and more like a human.

The physicist Stephen Hawking warned last year that computers are improving so rapidly there is "a real danger" they will ultimately "develop intelligence and take over." -- much like the errant chess-playing computer HAL from Stanley Kuberick's sc-fi classic, "2001: A Space Odyssey". He called for urgent development of technologies to link human brains with computers, thus putting computers on our side rather than against us.

Most computer scientists are not interested in building better chess-playing machines -- the early 'retirement' of IBM's Deep Blue in 1997 at its peak when it beat Kasparov proved this point. But they are fascinated with the brain's fantastic pattern-recognition capabilities, and that is what they are trying to build into their new programs. "Computer chess is kind of a sideshow for most AI people; it's kind of fun and interesting, but it's not exactly mainstream," said Ken Forbus, professor of computer science, education and social policy at Northwestern University.

"Tremendous advances in computer technology have been made, but they won't show up in the chess stuff," said Forbus, who develops artificial intelligence systems for the military and schools. "Things like reasoning systems, planning systems, construction of large knowledge bases and construction of flexible natural language systems -- that's going to really make a big change in our lives."

There was also a Man-Machine match taking place in the Dutch city of Maastricht, between the computer program HIARCSX and the world number eight, Evgeny Bareev. HIARCS has been developed by Mark Uniacke from Potters Bar in England, and it put up a good show with all four games being hard-fought draws.

HIARCS stands for "Higher Intelligence Auto Response Chess System". And indeed the distinguishing feature is that the author, like no other, uses a maximum of chess knowledge to increase the playing strength of his program. The new version of the program has been improved and enhanced in a number of areas, especially in its search algorithms and the implementation of concrete chess knowledge.

Bareev - HIARCSX
CEM Man-Machine, (2)
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Rb1 a5 6.a3 d6 7.b4 axb4 8.axb4 f5
9.b5 Nce7 10.e3 Nf6 11.Nge2 Be6 12.Bxb7 Ra7 13.Bg2 Bxc4 14.d3 Be6 15.Bd2 h5 16.h4 Qd7 17.Qc2 0-0 18.0-0 Rb8 19.Rfc1 Bf7 20.Rb4 d5 21.d4 e4 22.Nf4 Ng4 23.Bf1 Rba8 24.Ra4 Bh6 25.Rca1 Rxa4 26.Rxa4 Rb8 27.Ra6 Bxf4 28.exf4 Nc8 29.Bc1 Nb6 30.Be2 Kg7 31.Qa2 Nf6 32.Ba3 Ne8 33.Bc5 Nd6 34.Qa1 Qd8 35.Qa3 Nbc4 36.Qb4 e3 37.f3 Nxb5 38.Nxb5 Qd7 39.Ra5 Be8 40.Bxc4 dxc4 41.Qc3 Rxb5 42.Rxb5 Qxb5 43.d5+ Kg8 44.Qxe3 Bf7 45.Qe7 Qb8 46.Bd4 Qe8 47.Qf6 Qe1+ 48.Kg2 Qe2+ 49.Bf2 Be8 50.Qe5 Qxe5, draw.

January 31, 2003

CORUS

ANAND TAKES GROUP “A,” ZHONG SMASHES GROUP “B”

IN chess circles, distinguished tournaments are often known by the locality that hosts the tournament and very often are held in faraway or unexpected places. The annual Dutch treat of Wijk aan Zee falls into such a category.

The chess festival held at the little Dutch seaside resort (some 30 kilometres from Amsterdam) is, next to Hastings, the second longest-running international tournament in the world, which this year celebrated its 65th edition.

Ironically, the event had an auspicious start in 1938 -- that of a simple works tournament for the employees of the local Koninkjke Hoogovens steel factory! In an effort to lift the depressions of the war, it was decided that former world champion and Dutch legend Dr Max Euwe would be invited to play as a special guest in the 1940 tournament. Little did anyone know at the time what the consequences would be of allowing Euwe to play, as in the aftermath of the war, it went on to become a truly international “must play” event.

“Wijk”, as the tournament has become affectionately known as, has now grown into one of the finest festivals that the game of chess has to offer. Even after an enforced name-change in 2000 to Corus, after the merger of British Steel and its Dutch counterpart, nothing could ever change that special atmosphere created inside the De Moriaan playing hall by its dedicated organizing committee, where anything of upwards of 1,000 players -- world champions, grandmasters, masters, and amateurs alike -- play under the one roof.

NOT since Billie Jean King humbled Bobby Riggs in tennis's battle of the sexes in 1973 has sport witnessed a near comparable cross-gender upset than the final result of the Corus super-tournament in Wijk aan Zee, as India's Vishy Anand managed to hold off a feisty challenge for the top spot from Hungary's Judit Polgar, the world's leading female player.

By winning the first big event of the year with a plus four score, Anand, the world No.3, continues his magnificent run of winning every tournament he's played in since the early half of last year. For Polgar, the result is easily her best performance in such a strong tournament -- and one that is likely to push her once again into the world's top-ten ranking list. In 1996, she made it to the No.10 spot with a rating of 2675. Currently she stands at thirteen with a rating of 2700.

The field at Corus included two reigning world champions, two ex world champions and two world championship challengers -- and Anand and Polgar were the only players to finish unbeaten in the star-studded category 19 all-play-all. Anand had four wins, against Ponomariov, Shirov, Topalov and Karpov, and drew his other nine games. Polgar had three wins, against Timman, Karpov and Grischuk and drew her other ten games.

Apart from the eye-catching, top-rated Grandmaster “A” group, the tournament also has a Grandmaster “B” event that usually combines a mixture of up and coming talents to the game alongside some seasoned old hands. This year's runaway winner of the event was China's Zhang Zhong, whose reward for winning with an impressive 11/13 is a promotion to next year's Grandmaster “A” tournament, where he gets an opportunity to prove his mettle amongst the world's elite.

CORUS: PONOMARIOV’S FOLLY

SERENDIPTY has been almost entirely replaced by days, even weeks of study at a computer delving into gigantic chess databases that can contain anything upwards of 3 million games.

Producing a stunning novelty at the chessboard is regarded as primitive, risky and -- by trainers and coaches -- irresponsible. Nevertheless, every once in a while something spectacular is seen that can shock an opponent and excite the audience. During the Wijk aan Zee tournament of 1996, Alexei Shirov suffered a spectacular and humiliating loss to the Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk, who stunned the chess world with an amazing queen sacrifice in opening theory from nowhere.

In Shirov's brilliant game collection, "Fire on Board", he remained skeptical about Ivanchuk's claim of having come up with the move 21 Qg7 over the board and not some exhaustive piece of home analysis – however you can never be sure what exactly goes on in the head of the quixotic Ukrainian while he's staring around the playing hall, and he could just have created the brilliancy at the board!

As the players reach the final rest day at the 2003 edition of Wijk, one of the talking points was Ruslan Ponomariov's repeating of the same spectacular queen sacrifice - and with the chutzpah to play it against the same player, and in the same tournament!

However, Shirov is a player that seldom gets caught twice in a razor-sharp variation, and he was more than ready for it seven-years on.

Final Standings for Group A: 1 Anand 8.5; 2. Polgar 8.0; 3. Bareev 7.5; 4-8 Shirov, Van Wely, Grischuk, Ivanchuk, Kramnik all with 7.0; 9-10 Radjabov, Topalov both with 6.5; 11-12 Karpov, Ponomariov with 6.0; 13. Krasenkow, 4.5; 14. Timman, 2.5.

Final standings for Group B: 1 Zhang Zhong 11; 2-3 Stellwagen, Naiditsch 8; 4 Nijboer 7.5; 5 Karjakin 7; 6 De Vreugt 6.5; 7-9 Acs, Van der Wiel, Koneru all with 6; 10-11 Rogers, Hector 5.5; 12-13 Kosteniuk, Jonkman 5; 14 Cmilyte 4.

A Kosteniuk - Zhang Zhong
Corus “B”, (3)
Sicilian Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 Nc6 9.Nb3 b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.Qh3 Be7 12.0-0 Nb4 13.Rae1 Nxd3 14.cxd3 b4 15.Nd1 a5 16.Nf2 h6 17.Rc1 Qd8 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Nh7 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Nc5 Bd5 22.Ng4 0-0 23.Rf2 Rad8 24.b3 Qg5 25.Rcf1 h5 26.Rf4 hxg4 27.Rxg4 Qxe5 28.Rh4 Qg5 29.Rg4 Bxg2 30.Qxg2 Qxc5+ 31.d4 Rxd4 32.Rxg7+ Kh8, 0-1.

J Polgar - V Anand
Corus “A”, (12)
Caro-Kann Defense
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bf4 e6 12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Kb1 0-0 14.Ne4 Qa5 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.g4 Nxg4 17.Rdg1 Qf5 18.Qd2 g5 19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Bxh6 Qxf3 21.Bxf8 Rxf8 22.d5 cxd5 23.Qd4 Nf6 24.Rxg6+ Kf7 25.Rhg1 Rc8 26.Rg7+ Kf8 27.Qh4 Ke8 28.Qa4+ Kf8 29.Qh4 Ke8 30.Qa4+ Kf8, draw.

A Shirov - V Anand
Corus 'A', (10)
Caro-Kann Advanced
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.Be3 Nc6 8.dxc5
Nxe5 9.Nf4 Ne7 10.Qe2 N7c6 11.0-0-0 Be7 12.Nfxd5 exd5 13.f4 d4 14.h4
Nd3+ 15.cxd3 h5 16.f5 Bh7 17.Bd2 dxc3 18.Bxc3 0-0 19.d4 a5 20.a3 Re8 21.Qc4 Bxh4 22.Bd3 hxg4 23.Kb1 Qg5 24.Ka1 Rad8 25.Bb1 Ne7 26.Bxa5 Bxf5 27.Bxd8 Rxd8 28.Rhf1 g6 29.Qb3 Be6 30.Qxb7 Qd5 31.Qxd5 Nxd5 32.Rh1 Bf2 33.c6 Rc8 34.Rc1 g3 35.Be4 Nf6 36.Bg2 Bd5, 0-1.

R Ponomariov - A Shirov
Corus 'A', (4)
Semi-Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.g3 Bb7 12.Bg2 Qb6 13.exf6 0-0-0 14.0-0 c5 15.d5 b4 16.Na4 Qb5 17.a3 exd5 18.axb4 cxb4 19.Be3 Nc5 20.Qg4+ Rd7 21.Qg7 Bxg7 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Nxc5 Rxg7 24.Nxd7 Qxd7 25.Rxa7 Rg6 26.Rfa1 Re6 27.Bd4 Re2 28.h4 Rd2 29.Be3 Rxb2 30.R1a5 b3 31.Rc5+ Kd8 32.Rxb7 Qxb7 33.Rxd5+ Qxd5 34.Bxd5 Rb1+ 35.Kg2 b2 36.Be4 Rd1 37.Bg5+ Ke8 38.Bf6 b1=Q 39.Bxb1 Rxb1 40.h5 Kf8 41.g4 Rd1 42.Bb2 Kg8, 0-1.

R Ponomariov - T Radjabov
Corus 'A', (8)
King's Indian Defense
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 10.Re1 f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.f3 Kh8 13.Rb1 h6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 fxe4 16.fxe4 Nc6 17.Nd5 Ng8 18.Bd3 Nd4 19.Qg4 g5 20.Qh3 c6 21.Ne3 Qf6 22.Ng4 Qe7 23.Be3 Nxe6 24.g3 Qd7 25.Rf1 d5 26.Rf5 dxc4 27.Bxc4 Nd4 28.Rxf8 Rxf8 29.Qh5 Qd6 30.Kg2 b5 31.Bf7 Nc2 32.Bc5 Qd2+ 33.Nf2 Nf6 34.Qg6 Ng4 35.Kg1 Nce3 36.Bxe3 Nxe3 37.h4 Qe2 38.Qh5 g4, 0-1.

A Shirov - V Kramnik
Corus 'A', (5)
Sicilian Sveshnikov
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.0-0 Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.c3 Bg7 15.Qh5 e4 16.Bc2 0-0 17.Rae1 Qc8 18.Bb3 a5 19.Qg5 Qb7 20.f3 h6 21.Qg3 a4 22.Bc2 b4 23.Nc4 Qxd5 24.fxe4 Qxc4 25.exf5 Nd5 26.f6 Nxf6 27.Rxf6 Rae8 28.Ref1 Re2 29.Bd3 Qc5+ 30.Kh1 Re3 31.R6f3 Rxf3 32.Qxf3 bxc3 33.bxc3 Qe5 34.c4 Kh8 35.Bc2 Qa5 36.Qd3 f5 37.Qxd6 Qc3 38.Bd3 Qd2 39.c5 Qxa2 40.c6 Rg8 41.Qg6 Rf8 42.c7 Qg8 43.Qc6 Rc8 44.Ba6, 1-0.

R Ponomariov - V Kramnik
Corus, (2)
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd2 Nd7 9.g3 b6 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Bg2 Nf6 12.0-0 Ne4 13.Rc1 Bb7 14.Qc2 Rc8 15.Rfd1 Bd6 16.Bb4 Qf6 17.Nc3 Nxc3 18.Qxc3 c6 19.Bxd6 Qxd6 20.b4 Rc7 21.a4 Bc8 22.a5 Ba6 23.Ra1 Bb5 24.Rdc1 Re8 25.axb6 axb6 26.Bf1 Bxf1 27.Kxf1 Rb8 28.Ra6 Qd7 29.Kg1 h6 30.Qa3 Rcc8 31.h4 Qf5 32.Ra7 g5 33.h5 Qf3 34.Qd3 Kh8 35.Qa6 Kg7 36.b5 c5 37.dxc5 bxc5 38.Qg6+, 1-0.

January 21, 2003

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

HISTORY OF THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP
As in many countries the championship title gradually evolved through time. Whilst many in the world would immediately identify with legends of the game such as the great Paul Morphy or perhaps George Mackenzie (a Scottish mercenary who became a Captain fighting for the North during the Civil War), they, along with little known first champion Charles Stanley, only became U.S. Champions by "popular acclaim" -- hailed as such by virtue of their playing strength in matches and tournaments of that particular era.

In the days before such official titles were organized to be fought over, they rightly were acclaimed champions one and all in the record books: Stanley 1845-57; Morphy 1857-71, and MacKenzie 1871-90. For the purists however, the first official champion was actually the “Kentucky Lion” Jackson Showalter (who also has another claim to fame as being reputedly accredited with the invention of the curve ball in baseball) who won the title in 1890. For nearly half a century thereafter, the U.S. title was decided by a match between the two top players in the country -- another legend Frank Marshall being the last incumbent to reign in such a way, who held the title from 1905 through to 1936.

This all changed in 1936 when the national title became an invitational affair between the top players in the country -- dominated in the process (and in order) by three players: Sammy Reshevsky, who won the first of his six titles in 1936 (his last in 1969!); Bobby Fischer, who broke all the records for the championship; and the redoubtable Walter Browne, a competitor in this year's championship, with six titles to his name.

The new-styled Open format of the championship created by the America's Foundation for Chess has breathed new life -- and money -- into an ailing tournament; one which unbelievably was all but cancelled by the USCF until the intervention at the eleventh hour of the then Seattle Chess Foundation in 2000.

SHABALOV TAKES THE TITLE!

IN the past, the title of U.S. Champion was either decided by a match between the two leading players of the day, or by way of invitational round robins dominated by the likes of Bobby Fischer (8 titles), Sammy Reshevsky (7 titles) or Walter Browne (6 titles). There was even the experiment in the 1990s of an invitational knockout.

However, deciding that it was time for a much-needed overhaul, last year the America’s Foundation for Chess changed the whole format of the historic national title (to great acclaim) by expanding the field and opening it up to the masses by way of qualifying tournaments. In order to accommodate this expansion with the field rising to 58 players, this inevitably meant that the method of determining the champion would be decided by a Swiss-system.

As with most strong Swiss-system tournaments, there is a feeling during the middle rounds that the top players are biding their time, the result being an unavoidable logjam at the top. Going into the crucial final rounds of the AF4C U.S. Championships in Seattle, it looked as if Alexander Shabalov, who had a half point lead over the field, was heading towards the title until he lost in the penultimate eighth round to Joel Benjamin.

Shabalov’s loss blew the race for the record first prize of $25,000 wide open, and going into the final round there was a multiple pile-up of eight players (consisting of 5 former champions) on 5.5/8; and on their tail a chasing pack of seven, including former champion Larry Christiansen.

FORTUNE favored the brave in the dramatic finale to the AF4C U.S. Championships in Seattle, as chess street fighter Alexander Shabalov took the title and $25,000 first prize after defeating Varuzhan Akobian in an epic encounter.

Going into the final round, eight players, including five former champions, were tied for the lead on 5.5/8; and with the destiny of the crown in their own hands, as all eight were matched up against each other. Surprisingly for so much at stake, and in the glare of the media spotlight, six of the top boards (Ivanov-Kaidanov, Stripunsky-Gulko and Fedorowicz-Benjamin) balked out of a fight and instead opted for the safety of quick draws in the expectations of a multi-player playoff for the title and the record prize money on offer.

Not surprisingly, their strategy backfired spectacularly -- and in more ways than one! Rather than the disappointment of yet another quick draw with the title on the line, Shabalov and Akobian opted instead for a gladiatorial fight to the finish, which in the process delighted and entertained the packed house that followed every nerve-wracking move. In a tense struggle that ebbed and flowed and was fittingly the last game to finish on the final day, it looked at one stage as if tournament wild card Akobian, 19, had the better of Shabalov.

However, the intriguing match up between the two turned on a slip from Akobian that let Shabalov back in the game -- and he didn't look back as he took control of the game, with the breakthrough being made after seven hours of play following a stunning Queen sacrifice that won the game and with it the title. "It feels fantastic," said Shabalov, who in the past had tied for the title in 1993 and 2000. "I was the No. 6 seeded player for the tournament, so I was one of the favorites, but I wanted to win the championship outright."

And, in a coded message to the “guilty six” who had opted out with the early draws that disappointed not only the spectators, the media, but also the sponsors, championship patron and Co-Founder of the Af4C, Erik Anderson, shocked everyone during the prize giving ceremony by rewarding both Shabalov and Akobian with a further $5,000 on top of their winnings for having the courage to fight at the board for the title.

Final standings:
1 Alexander Shabalov 6.5/9; 2-8 Gregory Kaidanov, Alexander Goldin, Boris Gulko, Joel Benjamin, Alexander Ivanov, Alexander Stripunsky, John Fedorowicz 6/9.

ANNA HAHN IS THE NEW U.S. WOMAN’S CHAMPION

In a fairytale ending to decide the 2003 Af4C U.S. Women's Champion, underdog Anna Hahn, from Jersey City, N.J, caused a major chess upset in the three-way playoff for the crown by beating former champions Jennifer Shahade and Irina Krush.

Scoring back-to-back wins against the two top U.S. women players gave Hahn both the title and the record first prize of $12,500. For Hahn, 26, who was seeded No.6 for the women's crown at the start of the Championship, the final result proved to be the biggest win of her career -- and one that shocked many of the commentators and spectators in the playing hall.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS OF ANNA HAHN

Women's International Master Anna Hahn was born in Riga, Latvia June 21, 1976 and currently resides in Jersey City, N.J. As a child she used to watch her father and grandfather play chess and when she was seven years old her grandfather decided to take her to the local chess club.

Her best chess achievements include the Latvian Women's Champion in 1992 and, after moving to the U.S., tying for second place in the World Girl's Championship in 1993. Anna earned her Women's international master title in 1995. In 2000, Anna participated in the chess Olympiad in Turkey, and the women's world championship in India.

She likes chess because of the logic and complexity of the game. Besides chess, Anna is fond of dancing and she loves music and goes to a lot of concerts and performances. In other sports, her interests are in tennis and kickboxing. In December 1998 she became a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Finance and Computer Science and is currently working at Goldman Sachs Investment Bank as a programmer. Anna is now also doing a part time Masters Program in Carnegie Mellon (NY location), studying Computational Finance.

A Shabalov - V Akobian
AF4C US Ch, (9)
French Defense
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 9.Bb2 Be7 10.h4 h5 11.Bd3 g6 12.Bxf5 gxf5 13.Nc3 Rg8 14.g3 Bd7 15.Bc1 Rc8 16.Ne2 a5 17.b5 Qxb5 18.Bg5 a4 19.Rb1 Qa5+ 20.Kf1 Bxa3 21.Ra1 Qb4 22.Nf4 Rh8 23.Kg2 b5 24.Bf6 Rh6 25.Re1 Qf8 26.Qe2 Be7 27.Bg5 Rh8 28.Rec1 Rb8 29.Rab1 Bxg5 30.hxg5 Qa3 31.g6 fxg6 32.Nxe6 Bxe6 33.Rxc6 Qe7 34.Rxb5 Kf7 35.Ng5+ Qxg5 36.Rc7+ Qe7 37.Rxe7+ Kxe7 38.Rc5 Rhc8 39.Qa6 Rxc5 40.Qa7+ Ke8 41.dxc5 Rc8 42.Qxa4+ Bd7 43.Qd4 Be6 44.f4 Ke7 45.Qb4 Rc6 46.Kh3 Bd7 47.Kh4 Kf7 48.Kg5 Ke7 49.Qb3 Re6 50.Qxd5 Bc6 51.Qa2 Bd7 52.Kh6 Be8 53.Kg7 Bd7 54.Qh2 Rc6 55.Qh4+ Ke8 56.Qf6 Rxf6 57.exf6 Be6 58.c6 g5 59.fxg5 f4 60.g6 fxg3 61.f7+, 1-0.

L Christiansen S Muhammad
A4FC US Ch., (8)
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.c3 Be7 8.d4 d6 9.Re1 0-0 10.Nbd2 Nd7 11.Nf1 Na5 12.Bc2 c5 13.dxc5 dxc5 14.Ne3 Qc7 15.Qe2 Nb6 16.b3 Rfe8 17.c4 bxc4 18.bxc4 Bf8 19.Bd2 Nc6 20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.cxd5 Nd4 22.Nxd4 exd4 23.Bb3 Bd6 24.g3 a5 25.Bc4 f5 26.e5 Qf7 27.e6 Qe7 28.Rab1 a4 29.Rb6 Ra7 30.Rxd6 Qxd6 31.Bf4 Qb6 32.d6 Qc6 33.f3, 1-0.
L Kaufman - L Christiansen
AF4C US Ch., (1)
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5 0-0 6.a3 Bxc5 7.Nf3 b6 8.Bf4 Nh5 9.Bg5 Be7 10.h4 f6 11.Bd2 f5 12.e3 Bb7 13.0-0-0 Na6 14.Nd4 Qe8 15.Ndb5 Nf6 16.f3 Qf7 17.Kb1 Rfc8 18.Bc1 d5 19.cxd5 Nxd5 20.Qd2 Nac7 21.Nxc7 Rxc7 22.Nb5 Rd7 23.Bc4 Rc8 24.Qe2 a6 25.Nd4 b5 26.Bb3 Bf6 27.Ka1 Kh8 28.Rhf1 Rdc7 29.Bd2 Qe7 30.g3 g6 31.Rc1 e5 32.Rxc7 Rxc7 33.Nc2 e4 34.Nd4 exf3 35.Qxf3 Nb6 36.Qf2 Bd5 37.Ba5 Bxb3 38.Bxb6 Rc8 39.Ba5 Bg8 40.h5 Qf7 41.b4 Qb3 42.Qb2 Qxe3 43.Bb6 Rc3, 0-1.

HASTINGS

NIELSEN WINS HASTINGS

TO many people, the Sussex coastal resort of Hastings is famed for a historic clash of arms in 1066. The famous battle also proved to be the turning point for chess in Britain, as the Norman Conquest is believed to have introduced the game to these shores.

Ever since, “Hastings” and “chess” have become synonymous with each other. The great interest shown in the game during the Victorian era of the 1880s led to the first Hastings Congress of 1895 -- widely regarded even to this day as the greatest chess tournament ever held, as America's Harry Pillsbury, amongst a field that contained the world's top twelve players, unexpectedly took first place ahead of the Russian champion Mikhail Chigorin and newly-crowned world champion Emanuel Lasker.

And, since 1920 (when the Christmas and New Year tradition started), Hastings has become something of an institution with nearly all the world champions (save for Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik) of the game being lured there by the fine tradition of the longest-running tournament in chess history.

THE Danish GM Peter Heine Nielsen has won the 78th Hastings Premier in dramatic style, as the second seed rode a virtual roller coaster of a tournament to take the first prize of £2,000.

Leading at one stage by a full point, Nielsen suffered a major setback en route to victory following two successive defeats. However he soon fought his way back into first place by proving to be the most aggressive and determined player in the field, and a penultimate round victory over co-leader Pentala Harikrishna clinched the title and first place for the Dane.

And, with a quick last round draw against Keith Arkell, Nielsen secured himself outright first on 6/9; in the process emulating the feats of his more famous countryman Bent Larsen, who during the 1960s and 1970s was a perennial favorite at the world’s most famous international tournament.

Just a half point behind in joint second was British Grand Prix winner Keith Arkell (the only unbeaten player in the field, who was also making his debut at the Premier), and Harikrishna on 5.5/9. Despite proving to be tough opposition at times, the young GMs Sergey Karjakin and Luke McShane couldn’t raise their game high enough to cause a major sensation by winning the tournament.

Final Standings: 1 GM P Heine Nielsen (Denmark) 6/9; 2-3 GM K Arkell (England), GM P Harikrishna (India) 5.5; 4-5 GM A Barsov (Uzbekistan), GM S Karjakin (Ukraine) 5; 6-7 GM L McShane (England), GM K Sasikiran
(India) 4.5; 8 GM G Flear (England) 4; 9 WGM A Kosteniuk (Russia) 3; 10 GM V Tseshkovsky (Russia) 2.

P Nielsen - P Harikrishna
Hastings Premier, (8)
Catalan Opening
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 c6 7.Qb3 Nbd7 8.Bf4 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.Nc3 Ba6 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Rfd1 Re8 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.e4 Nf8 15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.exd5 Bb7 17.d6 Bxg2 18.dxe7 Qxe7 19.Kxg2 Ne6 20.Be3 Ng4 21.Re1 Qf6 22.d5 Nxe3+ 23.Rxe3 Nd4 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Qd1 Nf5 26.Qd2 Qe5 27.Rd1 Nd6 28.Qd3 g6 29.Rd2 Qf6 30.Re2 Rxe2 31.Qxe2 Qd4 32.Qd1 Qb4 33.Qd2 Kf8 34.b3 Nf5 35.Qd3 Nd6 36.Ne2 Qe1 37.Nc3 Qe5 38.Qe3 Qf5 39.Qd4 Kg8 40.a4 Qd7 41.Qe5 h5 42.h3 Kf8 43.f3 Qc7 44.g4 hxg4 45.fxg4 Qc5 46.Kf3 Qb4 47.Ke2 Qa3 48.Kd3 Qb4 49.h4 Ne8 50.Qd4 Qa3 51.h5 gxh5 52.gxh5 Kg8 53.Qe5 Qf8 54.Ne4 f5 55.Ng5 Nf6 56.Qxf5 Qh6 57.d6 Nxh5 58.d7 Qd6+ 59.Ke3 Qe7+, 1-0.

A Kosteniuk - L McShane
Hastings Premier, (9)
Sicilian Sveshnikov
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.0-0 Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.c4 e4 15.Be2 Bg7 16.Qd2 bxc4 17.Nxc4 0-0 18.Rac1 Rb8 19.b4 Rb5 20.Ne3 f4 21.Nc2 Rxd5 22.Qxf4 Re5 23.Bxa6 d5 24.Rcd1 f5 25.Bc4 Kh8 26.Rfe1 Qc8 27.Bb3 Ng6 28.Qc1 f4 29.Rxd5 Nh4 30.Qd1 f3 31.Rxe5 Bxe5 32.Rxe4 Rd8 33.Nd4 Bf6 34.g3 Nf5 35.Qxf3 Rxd4 36.Re6 Rd2 37.Rxf6 Nd4 38.Rf8+, 1-0.

A Barsov - A Kosteniuk
Hastings Premier, (6)
Semi-Slav Defense
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.g4 Bb4 8.Bd2
Qe7 9.Bd3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 b5 11.Be2 Bb7 12.g5 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nd5 14.a4 bxa4 15.c4 Nb4 16.Bxb4 Qxb4+ 17.Kf1 Qe7 18.c5 e5 19.Qe4 exd4 20.Qxe7+ Kxe7 21.exd4 h6 22.Rg1 hxg5 23.Rxg5 g6 24.Kg2 a5 25.Bd1 Nf8 26.Rb1 Ra7 27.Bxa4 f6 28.Re1+ Kd8 29.Rg4 g5 30.d5 Ng6 31.dxc6 Bc8 32.Rd4+ Kc7 33.Rd6 Nf4+ 34.Kg1 Kb8 35.Rb1+ Ka8 36.Nd4 Nh3+ 37.Kf1 Rc7 38.Rb6 Nf4 39.Nb5 Re7 40.Rd7 Bxd7 41.Nc7+, 1-0.

P Nielsen - V Tseshkovsky
Hastings Premier, (3)
Benko Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Nf3 g6 5.cxb5 a6 6.b6 d6 7.Nc3 Nbd7 8.a4 a5 9.e4 Bg7 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 Nxb6 12.Bf4 Bg4 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Nfd7 15.Rb1 c4 16.Be3 Qc8 17.Qc2 Rb8 18.Nb5 Rb7 19.Bg4 h5 20.Bxd7 Nxd7 21.Rfc1 Ne5 22.b3 Nd3 23.Rd1 Nb4 24.Qxc4 f5 25.Qxc8 Rxc8 26.exf5 gxf5 27.Rbc1 Rbb8 28.Rxc8+ Rxc8 29.Bb6 Rc2 30.Bxa5 Na6 31.Bd8 Kf7 32.a5 Rb2 33.Nd4 Bxd4 34.Rxd4 Rxb3 35.Rf4 e6 36.dxe6+ Kxe6 37.Rh4 Nc5 38.Rxh5 Ra3 39.Rh6+ Kd7 40.Bb6, 1-0.

V Tseshkovsky - A Kosteniuk
Hastings Premier, (2)
King's Indian Attack
1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nd2 Bg4 5.h3 Bf5 6.e4 Bg6 7.f4 e6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.g4 h6 10.Ngf3 Qb6 11.f5 Bh7 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.exd5 exd5 14.Kd1 c5 15.Re1 Nc6 16.g5 hxg5 17.Nxg5 Bg6 18.Nc4 Bh5 19.Nxb6 Bxe2+ 20.Rxe2 axb6 21.c3 Kd7 22.Ne6 Rh7 23.Nf4 d4 24.h4 dxc3 25.bxc3 Bd6 26.Bh3+ Kc7 27.Ne6+ Kb8 28.Bg5 Nd5 29.Rc1 Ra3 30.Rec2 g6 31.Bg2 Nde7 32.Rb1 Ka7 33.Be4 Rf7 34.Rb3 Ra4 35.Rcb2 Ra6 36.Re2 Ra4 37.Reb2 Ra6 38.Bxe7 Rxe7 39.Bxc6 bxc6 40.Nd8 b5, 0-1.

P Nielsen - S Karjakin
Hastings Premier, (1)
Queen's Gambit Accepted
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5 Nf6 5.Nc3 b5 6.Bf4 Ba6 7.Nf3 b4 8.Bxb8 bxc3 9.Qa4+ Qd7 10.Qxa6 cxb2 11.Rb1 Rxb8 12.Bxc4 Rb6 13.Qa3 Nxe4 14.Rxb2 Qb7 15.Rxb6 Qxb6 16.0-0 f6 17.Qa4+ Kd8 18.d6 e5 19.Be6 Qb7 20.Qa5+, 1-0.

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