ICC Chess.FM

	3:00pm ICC Sep 08, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 08, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 08, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 08, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 08, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 08, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 08, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 08, 2008	GM Ronen Har-Zvi
	3:00pm ICC Sep 09, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 09, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 09, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 09, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 09, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 09, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 09, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 09, 2008	Chess Talk with IM John Watson
	3:00pm ICC Sep 10, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 10, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 10, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 10, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 10, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 10, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 10, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 10, 2008	Attack with LarryC! video series
	3:00pm ICC Sep 11, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 11, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 11, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 11, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 11, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 11, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 11, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 11, 2008	GM Boris Alterman
	9:00pm ICC Sep 11, 2008 6:00pm PDT Sep 11, 2008 7:00pm MDT Sep 11, 2008 8:00pm CDT Sep 11, 2008 9:00pm EDT Sep 11, 2008 02:00 BST Sep 12, 2008 03:00 CEST Sep 12, 2008 9:00pm EDT Sep 11, 2008	Ask the Reinassance Man NM Dan Heisman
	3:00pm ICC Sep 12, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 12, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 12, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 12, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 12, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 12, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 12, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 12, 2008	GM Benjamin "Game of the Week" GOTW
	9:30am ICC Sep 13, 2008 6:30am PDT Sep 13, 2008 7:30am MDT Sep 13, 2008 8:30am CDT Sep 13, 2008 9:30am EDT Sep 13, 2008 14:30 BST Sep 13, 2008 15:30 CEST Sep 13, 2008 9:30am EDT Sep 13, 2008	India with Arvind Aaron

 Bilbao Grand Slam Final 2008

Play starts daily at 11:00am ET (17:00pm CET) Next round: 11:00am ICC Sep 08, 2008 8:00am PDT Sep 08, 2008 9:00am MDT Sep 08, 2008 10:00am CDT Sep 08, 2008 11:00am EDT Sep 08, 2008 16:00 BST Sep 08, 2008 17:00 CEST Sep 08, 2008 11:00am EDT Sep 08, 2008 ICC link: http://www.chessclub.com/finger/bilbao08 Official link: http://www.bilbaofinalmasters.com/en_index.asp Taking advantage of the new scoring system of 3-points for a win in the $570,00 Bilbao Grand Slam Final, Veselin Topalov and Magnus Carlsen have been the two stars enthralling the large audience each day surrounding the sound-proofed air-conditioned glass arena on Plaza Nueva in the Basque city. Topalov, who has a reputation of being a streak player, looks to be in formidable form as he takes the lead with his unbeaten score of 8/12 in the richest tournament of the year following two big wins in successive rounds - first beating Carlsen in round three, and then sensationally world champion Vishy Anand in just 25 moves! But just a point behind there lurks the young 17-year-old Norwegian ace Carlsen, who not only has his eye on the top prize but also Anand's World #1 spot! Although Carlsen (who was profiled this week in the International Herald Tribune) lost to Topalov, in the opening round he beat Levon Aronian followed by Teimour Radjabov in round four - and he has now grabbed the unofficial #1 spot in Hans Arild Runde's virtual live ratings at http://chess.liverating.org/ We could be in for an epoch-making finish to the tournament. Carlsen could well be celebrating a double joy of taking the top prize and the youngest-ever World #1 come the official publication of the FIDE world rating list on October 1. Will he do it or will Topalov top him? You can find out with ICC Chess.FM's extended live coverage throughout all of next week! Play starts daily at 11:00am ET (17:00pm local CET) with Mig Greengard being joined each day by his regular GM sidekicks, Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Nick De Firmian, Ronan Har-Zvi and Gregory Kaidanov - and don't dare miss a very special guest appearance in the commentary hot-seat all day Monday, September 8 from four-time Russian champion GM Peter Svidler! CJA Chess Journalist of the Year, Macauley Peterson is in Bilbao giving us his unique spin on all the action on and off the board - and a special live video feed of the players in action during each round! Check out his videos below. Also in Bilbao is Chess.FM Producer John Henderson, who will be providing a daily picture gallery of what's likely to be a visual extravaganza for chess fans. Check out his picture gallery below.

XII 'New In Chess' Trivia Contest winners

The XII 'New in Chess' TRIVIA Contest! ICC Chess.FM ICC and New in Chess present The XII 'New in Chess' Trivia Contest! Tune-in to Mig on ICC Chess.FM for our round-by-round coverage of the Grand Slam Finals in Bilbao, Spain, and each round you could win a 1-year subscription to the world's best chess magazine in the New in Chess TRIVIA Contest! For more information and rules, visit our help page.

 Wang Bang in Amsterdam!

It looks as if a “Wang Bang” in Amsterdam could provide another defining moment for Chinese chess. Nineteen-year-old Wang “Bang” Yue, China’s exciting and explosive young teenage sensation, is blowing away the opposition in the Rising Stars vs. Experience match in the Dutch capital, and looks to be on the brink of a major breakthrough into the elite arena. After getting off to a perfect start of six wins, Wang was held to his first draw by Norwegian GM Simen Agdestein before getting back to his winning ways by beating GM Artur Jussupow. In the penultimate round, he found himself fighting for a draw - and getting - against the one and only, the venerable Viktor Korchnoi.

Now on 8/9, and a tournament performance rating of 2940, Wang has (so far) increased his Elo rating by a seismic 33-points and now looks destined to become the first Chinese player in history to enter the world’s elite Top 10. And already his rise in status hasn’t gone unnoticed. Jeroen van den Berg, Tournament Director for the world famous Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee, approached Wang in Amsterdam with an invite to play in next January’s Grandmaster ‘A Group’ alongside superstars Anand, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Carlsen and Topalov. In the 'Scheveningen' team match in Amsterdam, sponsored by NH Hotels, in conjunction with the Monaco-based Association Max Euwe, the Rising Stars team leads the Experience team by a one-sided score of 30-15 with the final round left to play. Wang’s performance though has overshadowed that of his fellow teammate, Ivan Cheparinov, who has also had a stellar tournament being unbeaten on 7/9, with a full point separating the two going into the final round. This is important because the Rising Stars’ player with the top score also gets an automatic invitation to another prestigious tournament on the elite circuit, that being next year’s Amber Rapid and Blindfold tournament in Nice, France. ICC Chess.FM's Macauley Peterson (voted Journalist of the Year by the Chess Journalists of America - Congratulations, Macauley!) brings us his inimitable spin on this intriguing match-up, with daily videos throughout, along with Peter Doggers of ChessVibes.com. Check out their videos below.

 Looking Tal in Moscow

Books and songs were written about him; and the ongoing Tal Memorial in Moscow further reminds us of the legacy of the incomparable Soviet-Latvian attacking genius Mikhail Tal, who died in 1992, aged just 56. They called him the "Magician from Riga," and even to this day, the compliment "You played like Tal" is regarded as the highest praise we can give to anyone who wins a dazzling attacking game. And in Moscow right now, the player today most likened to Tal, Russia's Alexander Morozevich, is leading the Tal Memorial at the midpoint. With an uncompromising style of fighting chess that makes him a big crowd-pleaser, “Moro” stunned the former world champion, Vladimir Kramnik, in round three, with a 31 move victory to take the outright lead, and now enjoys a half point lead over the chasing pack on 3.5/5 going into Saturday's rest day.

XI 'New In Chess' Trivia Contest winners

The XI 'New in Chess' TRIVIA Contest! ICC Chess.FM ICC and New in Chess present The XI 'New in Chess' Trivia Contest! Tune-in to Mig on ICC Chess.FM for our round-by-round coverage of Tal Memorial Tournament 2008, and each round you could win a 1-year subscription to the world's best chess magazine. For more information and rules, visit our help page.

 GM Peter Svidler Special on Chess.FM

Four-time Russian champion Peter Svidler joined the Chess.FM team for their round five live coverage of the Tal Memorial. In this exclusive, 90 minute rebroadcast video, Svidler dissects the days play and discusses major chess issues of the day. Don't miss it!

 Mainz 2008

Anand showed why he's still the world's number one player by beating Magnus Carlsen decisively in the final of the Grenke Leasing Rapid World Championship. Macauley spoke to Magnus after the event.

Kosteniuk & Nakamura top Mainz Chess960. Macauley wraps up the Women's Chess960 World Championship and the FiNet Open.

Viswanathan Anand is in Mainz for the Rapid World Championship. Macauley brings you video from the opening press conference and a preview of what's to come all weekend long.

Game of the Day Video Commentary
Chess.FM presents GM Ronen Har-Zvi on Mainz 2008:
Watch video -- Round 1: Morozevich-Anand and Polgar-Carlsen
Watch video -- Round 2: Carlsen-Anand and Anand-Morozevich
Watch video -- Round 3: Anand-Carlsen and Carlsen-Anand

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Hikaru!  After winning the recent ICC-Mainz Chess960 qualifier, U.S. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (Smallville) lived up to his Superman-themed handle by going on to win the FiNet Chess960 crown at the Mainz Chess Classic in Germany! 

The FiNet Chess960 Open started though on a somber note with a one minute silence in respect of Bobby Fischer, the former world champion who died earlier this year and who endorsed his own version of shuffle chess used in Mainz.

And among the 83-player field, there were 44 grandmasters with the average rating of the top 10 players being 2687!  Players like Sergei Movsesian and Pavel Eljanov, who have a 2700+ rating and once again some players came to Mainz who have a 2650+ rating like Sasikiran, Najer, Kasimdzhanov, Almasi, Motylev, Fressinet, Tregubov and Bareev. 

But ICC qualifier Hikaru Nakamura, a dark horse tipped by many to do well,  took first place on tiebreak ahead of Motylev and Movsesian, as all three finished in equal first on 9/11. Congratulations Hikaru on picking up yet another major European title!

The Mainz Chess Classic includes a cornucopia of tournaments and Opens in traditional and Random Chess featuring a whole galaxy of chess stars old and new - and we urge you to checkout the links below to follow all the results from this extravaganza. 

All of which is just a warm-up act for the main event now underway, the Grenke-Leasing Rapid Chess World Championship featuring the current World Champion and world #1 Vishy Anand, the young Norwegian pretender Magnus Carlsen, Russian maestro Alexander Morozevich and the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar. ICC will be relaying the games from this event live each day, and also not to be missed is GM Ronen Har-Zvi GOTD from Mainz. Full ICC schedule.

Chess.FM's Macauley Peterson is also in Mainz and he'll be bringing you video reports on all the action and news.

More Links:

• Official web site: in English and in German
• Event Overview
• Detailed schedule in PDF: Part one + Part two
• Daily schedule of events in PDF
• Registration
• FiNetChess960 Open
• ORDIX Open
• Mini FiNer + Mini Ordix
• Accomodation

 World Open Video

Four players tied for First in the 36th Annual World Open in Philadelphia (July 6), but Evgeny Najer (Russia) from Moscow, earned the World Open title by winning an Armageddon-style blitz playoff over Parimarjan Negi (India). Both players had edged out Alexander Moiseenko (Ukraine) and Lubomir Ftacnik (Slovakia) on tie-breaks to reach the playoff. All four took home over $12,000 for their efforts! Macauley spoke to Najer, Negi, and Moiseenko after the critical last round and filed this report:

Dortmund 2008

With a late push at the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund, Peter Leko took the honors and clear first with his +2 winning score of 4.5/7.

Dortmund went Leko’s way after a penultimate round victory over the unlikely German overnight leader Jan (GodGusti) Gustaffson. A last round draw with Arkadij Naiditsch secured the Hungarian No.1 the title (his third at Dortmund), a half point ahead of the chasing pack.

Dortmund has usually belonged to Vladimir Kramnik, who has won or shared first there eight times, including the last two editions. But, worryingly in his penultimate outing before taking on Vishy Anand in a title challenge in October, there was a reversal of fortunes for the former world champion.

Kramnik’s normally dependable Petroff was again blown away, this time in the final round by Vassily Ivanchuk, as he turned in a traumatic -2 (where he’s normally ‘Mr. +2’) to finish second from last - easily the Russian’s worst performance ever, as he lost in the process 15 Elo-points to slip to world No.6 on Hans Arild Runde’s Live Ratings at www.chess.liverating.org.

And if you thought Kramnik’s performance was bad, then spare a thought for his sometime second '(Un)Lucky' Loek Van Wely. The Dutch No.1 imploded completely with four successive losses in the last four rounds to finish on 1/7 and slam-bang in the cellar with a dismal tournament performance rating of just 2388.

On ICC: finger Dortmund08

IX 'New In Chess' Trivia Contest winners

The IX 'New in Chess' TRIVIA Contest! ICC Chess.FM ICC and New in Chess present The XI 'New in Chess' Trivia Contest! Tune-in to Mig on ICC Chess.FM for our round-by-round coverage of Dortmund Chess Tournament 2008, and each round you could win a 1-year subscription to the world's best chess magazine. For more information and rules, visit our help page.