Suffern Chess Club

Recent Headlines

Still the Champ - posted 11/1/08

In the recently completed chess championship in Bonn Germany Viswanathan Anand successfuly defended his title with a relatively easy victory over Vladamir Kramnik.  Anand had an impressive run, winning three matches, drawing seven and losing none in the two week event.

According to a recent New York Times article, only a month ago Anand finished dead last in a Grand Slam Masters final in Spain.  It is a testament to his character that he was able to get up off the mat and completely outplay one of the worlds best players when it mattered the most.

Surprisingly the 1.5 million Euro prize fund was split evenly among the participants.  This was part of the pre-match arrangements.  So I guess we don’t have to feel too bad for Kramnik as he will have a large bankroll to continue his chess career.

Super Grandmasters - posted 10/5/08

As we all know, the dilution of ratings is a hot topic of discussion in chess circles, even at the highest levels.  Recently, an unofficial moniker of “Super Grandmaster” has begun to gain acceptance as a way to distinguish between regular grandmasters and those who have exceptional skills.  A recent article about chess prodigy Wesley So, who just turned 15, notes that one of his goals is to reach this milestone Link to So Super GM article.

This distinction is based solely on rating - if a player is rated above 2700, they are considered one of the elite.  A quick check of FIDE and USCF ratings charts confirms that this is a very distinct group.  Only five players on the FIDE list and three players on the USCF list would qualify.  For the record, they are:

FIDE: Veselin Topalov, Alex Morozevich, Vassily Ivenchuck, Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand

USCF: Gata Kamsky, Alex Onischuk, Hikaru Nakamura  

World Mind Games - posted 10/5/08

The World Mind Games are currently underway in Beijing.  Over 3,000 participants are competing in the tournament with 35 gold medals up for grabs.  The competition is focused on five of the worlds most popular games: Bridge, Chess, Go, Draughts (checkers), and Xiangqi.

Alexandra Kosteniuk, the recently crowned Womens World Champion picked up the first gold medal in a blitz chess event, defeating Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria .  To learn more about the World Mind Games, visit the official site - World Mind Games Site Link

Up and Comers - posted 10/5/08

A number of strong players have been emerging in recent years.  While everybody has heard of Magnus Carlsen, there are many others who are also coming into their own.  As noted above in the article on Super Grandmasters, Wesley So is one of those players.  He will turn 15 on October 9th of this year, and has already attained his Grandmaster title (at the age of 14 years, 1 month, 28 days).

Even in Cuba, where it is hard to make a name for yourself on the international stage, there are young players who are in the headlines.  Fidel Corrales Jimenez is a 21 year old IM with a 2552 FIDE rating.  Lisandra Oraz is a 20 year old WIM who recently topped 2300 on the FIDE ratings charts.  Both of these players have recently achieved their highest ratings and are scheduled to play in a number of tournaments in the next few months.

This all goes to show that chess really is an international game where anybody with a chess board and the ability to excel can become a top-ranked player.

Chess Boxing (no joke!) - posted 7/28/08 

 There is a new chess fad that is on the rise in Europe.  The sport is called “chess boxing” and combines the mental discipline of chess with the physical tests of boxing.  The boxers alternate between blitz chess sessions and boxing rounds. 

By now, I’m sure you’re thinking this is some sort of belated April Fool’s joke, but it’s not.  I recently learned about the sport in an article in the Salt Lake City Tribune.  After a quick scan of the internet, I found numerous articles on the subject. 

 The sport was started in the early 2000’s by a dutch artist named Lepe Rubingh who was inspired by a novel he read which had fictional characters participating in chess boxing matches.

Here’s how it works:

Players alternate between 2 minute boxing rounds and 4 minutes of chess.  (They are alotted 12 minutes each for a speed chess game.)  After four minutes of chess is played, they remove the board from the ring, put their gloves on and resume boxing!  A win may be achieved by knockout in the boxing match, checkmate, time-forfeit, or by points if the chess match ends in a draw.

They even have their own organization known as the WCBO (World Chess Boxing Organization).

This strikes me on a personal level as quite bizarre, but it does make for an entertaining youtube video …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Wcbd0dJpQ

Idaho Schools Offer Chess as Part of their Curriculum - posted 3/21/08 

A recent article in the New York Times discussed the merits of using Chess as a formal learning tool.  The Idaho school system has adoped the “First Move” curriculum which was created by America’s Foundation for Chess, a Seattle-based non-profit oganization.

Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of chess for young children.  The linkage from chess to improvement in other subjects has not been clearly demonstrated, but there is no doubt that it is beneficial for children to interact with each other and learn creative problem solving techniques.

To read the full article, click the following link - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/us/20chess.html?scp=2&sq=chess&st=nyt

Linares Results - posted 3/10/08

The Linares tournament recently concluded with Vishwanathan Anand coming out on top with a score of 8 1/2 points in the 14 round tournament.  The world champion narrowly outpaced one of the chess world’s up-and-coming stars Magnus Carlson, who scored a solid 8 points (including 5 wins).  Carlson is only 17 years old and after his stellar results he will be rated #5 in the world.

Look in our Analysis / Games section to see a sample game as posted in last week’s New York Times.

Morelia-Linares Tournament - posted 3/2/08  

 A major tournament featuring the world’s top players is currently underway with Vishwanathan Anand in the lead with a score of 5.5 after eight rounds.  The tournament has a unique double round-robin format with half of the matches played in Morelia, Mexico from 2/15/08 through 2/23/08 and the other half in Morelia, Spain from 2/28/08 through 3/7/08.

The currrent edition of the tournament has been very competitive with many hard-fought, decisive games.  To date, an amazing 20 of 36 games have ended with a clear winner.

To learn more about the tournament, look for commentary on the Internet Chess Club and other chess news sources.  (Note: There is an official tournament website, but it is currently inoperable!)

 Boris Gulko Simul - posted 2/19/08 

The Dumont Chess Mates Club will be holding a simul with Boris Gulko on Monday, April 14, 2008.  The event will begin at 7:30 P.M with a short autograph signing followed by the exhibition.  Admission to the event is $5 and the cost to participate in the simul will pay $20 per board.  Mr. Gulko will be playing up to 30 people in the simul.  Seats will be filled on a first come first serve basis.  Note - refreshments are included as part of the admission.

Boris Gulko is a top GM with a rating of 2623 which makes him the 19th highest rated player in the United States.  His other claim to fame is an amazing +3-1 score in matches against Garry Kasparov.  If you are interested in finding out more about the exhibition, contact Lawrence Constance at 201-568-1506 or click on the Dumont Chess Mates link.

Bobby Fischer -1/17/08

One of the most brilliant players in the history of chess passed away on January 17, 2008.  His achievements were overshadowed in laters years by his anti-semitic and anti American diatribes which were likely caused by mental illness. (Read the Wikipedia biography - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer)

New World Champion - 9/29/07

MEXICO CITY (AFP) — The chess world hailed a new champion Sunday with the crowning of India’s Vishwanathan Anand, victor of a grueling tournament that brought together eight of the game’s best players. (Read the complete article - http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5juLAJZvcZmZxXGVWsTe6D0MKhcNA)

Ice Chess -

Back in January 2007, the London Chess Club played the Moscow chess club with pieces made of ice!  See the complete transcript via the following link: http://www.dulwichchessclub.org.uk/news.php

Chess Stores

• The House of Staunton - In the chess world, when you talk about top of the line, the House of Staunton is the place to go.  They have some of the most beautiful chess sets you’ve ever seen all made with with incredible craftmanship out of top of the line materials.  The site also has various other accessories including clocks, boards and chess tables. Click here
• The Chess House - They have a full line of merchandise and excellent customer service.  I have personally purchased numerous books and supplies from this site. http://www.chesshouse.com/
• USCF Store - This site also has a full selection of merchandise and offers discounts to USCF members.  There is currently a special discounted rate for online membership renewals.  http://www.uscfsales.com/

Internet Chess Sites

There are numerous sites available online to sit down and play a game of chess.  The sites listed below have an annual membership fee, but also provide a higher caliber of competition and numerous tutorials that provide great opportunities for self-improvement.

• Internet Chess Club - http://www.chessclub.com/
• World Chess Live (formerly US Chess live) - http://www.worldchesslive.com/