Chess joke finishes 5thNo, that’s not an episode from this writer’s chess career, but a literal fact. A big part of the 3-week Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, is stand-up comedy. The UK Satellite TV Channel Dave held a public vote to decide the best joke at the festival, and a chess joke took 5th place. Chess pays dividends for the Armenian teamIn the wake of Armenia's victory in the World Team Championship in Ningbo, China the Armenian government has decided to reward all the players and the coach with just over $20,000 each. Linares to return in 2012Linares, probably the world's most famous chess tournament, looks set to return in 2012. Spanish chess journalist and organiser Leontxo Garcia today tweeted the message you can see above. A rough translation:
Razuvaev on BotvinnikThe website ChessPro has published a conversation between the journalist Yuri Vasiliev and grandmaster and renowned Russian trainer Yuri Razuvaev. Razuvaev reminisces about his work in Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school, and talks about the enormous influence such close proximity to the “Patriarch” of world chess had on him. Do you remember when you first encountered Botvinnik? Stars prepare to play in honour of Botvinnik
The Russian Chess Federation website has released details of the upcoming Botvinnik Memorial: The chess festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Botvinnik will take place from 2-4 September 2011 in the fashionable “Digital October” Center of New Technologies in the former “Red October” chocolate factory in central Moscow. Duo lead SuperfinalThe number of leaders at the Women’s Russian Championship Superfinal in Moscow has been cut from three to two. In round 5 Valentina Gunina (in the photo – and see this short interview) beat Tatiana Shadrina with Black in only 21 moves of a topical variation of the Caro-Kann. Keeping pace with her is Baira Kovanova, who beat Elena Zaiatz in a sharp struggle. Daria Charochkina, who was leading, played the white side of a Nimzowitsch Defence none-too-convincingly and was glad to draw her game against ex-World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Adams wins againMichael Adams has followed up his win at the British Championship with victory in the 1st Metropolitan Chess International in Los Angeles. He scored 7.5/9 to finish a full point ahead of a group of players that included Loek Van Wely. The 1st Metropolitan was the strongest of a whole series of tournaments Ankit Gupta has recently organised on the west coast of America with the aim of allowing local players to obtain IM and GM norms. ChessBase propose “solution” to French cheating scandalAn article published today by ChessBase proposes a “solution” to the cheating scandal surrounding French team members at the 2010 Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk. The website asks that the people involved publish the text messages sent during the Olympiad, or else explain why they won’t. Huge open under way in BarcelonaFour rounds have been completed at the 13th Sants International Open, and the leaders on 4/4 include Polish World Junior Champion Dariusz Świercz, Anton Kovalyov (13th on the FIDE top juniors list, and with a complicated upbringing) and Matthew Sadler, a former British Champion making a rare appearance after his retirement from top-level chess back in 1999. The ratings favourite, Dutch GM Jan Smeets, is half a point back. |
