"The best chess site on the Net." — Internet World Magazine
WELCOME TO ICC!
The Internet Chess Club (ICC) is the longest running, most popular,
and best place to play chess on the Internet. Nowhere else can you find as many
chess enthusiasts ready for a quick round of blitz, a short chat, an impromptu
tournament, or simply enjoying the wealth of Chess.FM shows and live event coverage.
It is not uncommon to find more than 3,000 chess players hanging out on ICC
where more than 100,000 games are played each day.
Amber 2010: The Quick and the Blind
It's that time of the year again when the cream of world chess collectively close their eyes and move quickly as they meet at the grandiose Hotel Palais de la Mediterranée on the Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France, for the 19th Amber Rapid and Blindfold Chess Tournament.
Twelve of the world's top grandmasters from eight countries will take part in this hotly-contested annual contest. On offer is a 216,000 Euro ($296,000) total prize-fund. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe, and generously sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Van Oosterom from Monaco.
This year's field is as strong as ever, and includes (in rating order): Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Alexander Grischuk (Russia - a late replacement for Alexander Morozevich), Peter Svidler (Russia), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Sergey Karjakin (Russia), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba), and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands).
And each day here at ICC, the Chess.FM team will be back in action to cover every round. Mig & co-host GM Ronen Har-Zvi will be joined by GMs Larry Christiansen, Joel Benjamin, Jon Speelman, and Nick De Firmian, who will also be providing our GOTD service.
Also on the video scene in Amber will be the inimitable double act of Macauley Peterson (Chess.FM)and Peter Doggers (Chessvibes) - and both promise they'll be providing amazing behind the scenes coverage of the event! And to get you in the Amber mood, Macauley has posted on the Chess.FM YouTube page a brief look back at the 2009 event - go check it out now at http://www.youtube.com/user/ICCchessFM
This is one event you will not want to miss! Live coverage begins each day on ICC at 8:30 a.m. (EDT). There's also a New In Chess trivia and GOTD trivia each day where you can win prizes! Check out all the links below and don't forget to book your ringside seat now on ICC by becoming a member by clicking here.
It's the chess equivalent of March madness here on ICC, as we crank-up the servers for the online chess tournament that the fans eagerly look forward to each year: "Ciudad de Dos Hermanas", the biggest, grandest and best online tournament hosted only here on ICC.
The total prize fund amounts to EUR 7,600 (about $10,400), with Euro 2,000 (roughly $2,700) first prize, plus additional class prizes and ICC membership prizes for amateur players. Entry is completely FREE but you DO need to be a member of ICC (and register) to play!
This is one of the most important Internet chess tournaments in the world with the last four editions boasting an entry of over 5,000 players from all over the world. Will previous two-time winner, Jorge Sammour-Hasbun, go for a third title in four years, or will defending champion GM Dmitry Kononenko (Dako)join the untitled online blitz maven by becoming the second player to win back-to-back titles?Other topgrandmasters who have vied for the title in the past include: Shahriyar Mamedyarov, Tigran L. Petrosian, Gata Kamsky, Hikaru Nakamura, Kiril Georgiev and Sergey Shipov.
As in previous editions, the playing system is as follows: twelve 12-round Swiss qualifiers using the playing rate of 3 minutes per game. Qualifiers are held twice a day from March 12th to March 17th, with the finals being held on March 19th & 20th. The 12 qualifier winners plus the 20 best scores qualify to go forward to the 32-player KO final.
Even if you are not aiming to win a prize, this tournament gives you a unique chance to meet world class players! We hope that Dos Hermanas will become the internet chess tourney of the year once again. Make sure to register early only at the official site below! Your registration is valid for all qualifiers, but you do not need to play all.
The 24-player field for the U.S. Championship, to be held 13-25 May, with a bumper prize-fund of over $170,000, includes defending champion Hikaru Nakamura, former champions Gata Kamsky, Alexander Onischuk, Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Yury Shulman, Alexander Shabalov and Alexander Yermolinsky, plus many who have already qualified by rating or from various tournaments already, such as GMs Varuzhan Akobian, Jaan Ehlvest, Gregory Kaidanov, Ray Robson, Robert Hess, Ben Finegold, Alex Lenderman, Sergey Kudrin, Dmitri Gurevich and Jesse Kraai. Also yet to be announced is the Scholastic Center and Chess Club of St. Louis 4 wildcard spots.
But there's one spot left to be filled, and that's reserved for the 2010 State Champion of Champions event hosted exclusively here at the Internet Chess Club!
State champions from Alaska through California to Hawaii and from Maine through to New York and Florida will come together as one on the ICC for this unique online tournament. The event will determine who gets a coveted spot in the U.S. Championship (Saint Louis, May 13-25.)
National Master Dan Heisman is a name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Dan authors the award-winning Novice Nook column (winner of three Chess Journalists of America "Best Instruction" awards), aimed at improving adults, for chesscafe.com that are clearly written and offer very practical advice and tips on how to improve your game. More info about Dan can be found here.
In the new Improve Your Chess IV series, Dan provides instruction by reviewing amateur games played on ICC and showing where the players went wrong and how to improve.
Three-time U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin brings you a new show every Friday at 15:00 Server Time. Joel is regarded by many as one of the best commentators and analysts' we have in the game today -- so if you want to get ahead of the game, get ready to tune-in!
In his weekly Gambit Guide series on ICC, Boris investigates gambits old and new and show that, while some may not be actively played on the grandmaster circuit these days, they are all exciting to play and at the same time instructive as they teach us all about natural development of the pieces and tactics in chess. GM Boris Alterman has an official blog where, among other things, he'll be discussing some of his choices for his Gambit Guide.
The Vienna Gambit with 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 (or 2 …Nc6) 3 f4 is a wilder scion of the Vienna Game, and it firmly belongs to the 19th Century when Rudolph Spielmann was flying the lone flag of romanticism in the face of scientific chess.
But the Vienna Gambit is still as deadly now as it was back ithen; where Black can very quickly become the victim of a bludgeoning whirlwind attack if he isn't careful. And in his latest Gambit Guide series, GM Boris Alterman believes now could well by the time again to shock and awe your opponents with the Vienna Gambit.
GM Larry Christiansen is a three-time U.S. Champion and one of the most dangerous and respected attacking players of his generation. He is a feared competitor and attacker who authored two popular books that showcase his aggressive
style: Storming
the Barricades and Rocking
the Ramparts. Each week on the show, Larry
will feature various attacking motifs and themes and showing
you how best to play for mate.
This week (Tue., 9 March) joining IM John Watson on Chess Talk will be GM Alex Yermolinsky (Sweere on ICC).
Alex was born in St. Petersburg, in the former Soviet Union, before settling in the US (via a short sojourn in Italy) in the early 1990s. In 1992, he became a grandmaster and went on to clinch the first of his two US Championship titles in 1993 (shared with Alexander Shabalov) and in 1996. He has also played in the US Olympiad team. Alex' wife, WGM Camilla Baginskaite, whom he met at the 1996 Yerevan Olympiad, is also a former US Women's Champion and member of the US Olympiad team.
"Yermo" (as he's affectionately known) is an outspoken GM with two highly acclaimed books to his name: The Road to Chess Improvement and Chess Explained: The Classical Sicilian. He recently became a new commentator on ICC for Chess.FM, where he "rocked" the mic on his debut during our Linares coverage last month.
Ronen's Opening Survey: "Philidor's defense"
Mar 08, 2010
"Pawns are the soul of chess," once declared the mild-mannered 18th century French musical composer Francois-Andre Philidor, who was also the most famous chess-player of his day. He championed a simple pawn move defense with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 as an alternative to the more common 2 …Nc6 that was named after him.
The Philidor is a dynamic and underrated answer for club and tournament players as it offers an exciting fighting alternative to the lengthy theoretical paths of the Ruy Lopez and Sicilian. And in recent years, it has seen a revival thanks to books such as The Black Lion and the Philidor Files.
"There are more than 300 places to play chess on the internet but, as with nightclubs, there is only one place the 'A list' gravitates to: the Internet Chess Club." — The Sunday Telegraph (London)
WELCOME TO ICC! 
Amber 2010: The Quick and the Blind
Bosna Internet Qualifier
Regular ICC Events
ICC
Newsletter
February 17, 2010
In this issue:
Linares: Steady as you go
Live Coverage Amber Rapid and Blindfold - with ChessFM
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