Kramnik Tops Tal Memorial, Carlsen Leads FIDE Ratings

Monday November 16, 2009

Vladimir Kramnik may be best known for his solid play, but he's certainly capable of winning a game or two when the need arises. In the case of the Tal Memorial, he won three, which was just enough to take clear first in what was likely the strongest tournament of 2009. Kramnik finished with a 6.0/9 score, a half-point ahead of Magnus Carlsen and Vassily Ivanchuk.

There was a fair amount of drama heading into the final round, as Ivanchuk and Viswananthan Anand each trailed Kramnik by just a half point, and Ivanchuk had White against Kramnik. Anand took himself out of contention by losing to Levon Aronian with the white pieces in just 25 moves. Ivanchuk managed to get an advantage against Kramnik, but couldn't find a way to convert it, leading to an agreed draw after 29 moves, and a tournament win for Kramnik.

The other big winner was Magnus Carlsen, who recovered from being sick earlier in the tournament to finish strong with two victories in the final two rounds (over Ruslan Ponomariov and Peter Leko). Before the tournament, it was believed that a +2 score by Carlsen would be enough to overtake Veselin Topalov (who did not play in Moscow) as the number one player in the world. Sure enough, the live rating list now has him .6 points ahead of Topalov; if these ratings hold until January, Carlsen would appear on the next FIDE list at 2806, and Topalov at 2805. However, Carlsen will be playing in London next month, so it remains to be seen who will top the first official ratings list of 2010.

Round one results

Carlsen draw Kramnik, Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2;

Aronian draw Svidler, Gruenfeld Defence;

Morozevich draw Leko, Scotch Game;

Ivanchuk draw Anand, Gruenfeld Defence;

Gelfand draw Ponomariov, Catalan.

The Tal Memorial

The Tal Memorial will take place in Moscow from November 5-14, 2009. It will be a category 21 event.

Participants:

Viswanathan Anand 2788
Levon Aronian 2773
Magnus Carlsen 2772
Vladimir Kramnik 2772
Peter Leko 2762
Vassily Ivanchuk 2756
Boris Gelfand 2756
Alexander Morozevich 2750
Peter Svidler 2741
Ruslan Ponomariov 2741

The 2009 Tal Memorial will take place on 5-14th November in Moscow, Russia. According to the September rating list, ten out of thirteen top players, including the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, will take participation. Veselin Topalov, Teimour Radjabov and Dmitry Jakovenko are not among the invited.

Levon Aronian, winner of the FIDE Grand Prix and Grand Slam Final, and probably the most successful tournament player in 2009, is making a comeback after the shared first place in the 2006 event. Norwegian wonderboy Magnus Carlsen will also be there.

Vassily Ivanchuk will defend the last year's trophy, and Peter Leko and Boris Gelfand are returning to play in their third Tal Memorial.

Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and 2007 Tal Memorial winner is leading the Russian contingent. Besides him, Peter Svidler is participating and Alexander Morozevich was finally confirmed. The last to be added to the starting lineup is Ruslan Ponomariov.

Chess has had a long and colorful history since its beginnings in the 6th century. And ever since the creation of the game the board and game pieces have been a continuous source of inspiration for artists who year after year create new interpretations. Here is a look at chess's place in history and culture along with some historically and artistically important sets.

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2009/02/03/the-colors-of-chess/

“The Keats of Chess”

Rudolf Charousek had been playing chess for only four years when he found himself facing this position against Jakob Wollner at Kaschau in 1893:

He found one of the most immortally pretty finishes in chess history — to discover it, read Kester Svendsen's 1947 short story "Last Round," which the game inspired.

Three years afterward, Charousek defeated Lasker at Nuremberg. "I shall have to play a championship match with this man someday," the master remarked, but it was not to be — the Hungarian died of tuberculosis in 1900, at only 26.

Fire escape

You're new to hell, and you're given a choice: You can go directly to the fourth circle, or you can play simultaneous chess games against Alexander Alekhine and Aron Nimzowitsch. Alekhine always plays black and smokes a pipe of brimstone. Nimzowitsch plays white and wears cufflinks made of human teeth. Neither has ever lost.

If you can manage even a draw against either player, you'll be set free. But if they both beat you, you'll go to the eighth circle for eternity.

What should you do? I'll post the answer in a few days.