ICC Newsletter - Friday, April 21, 2006

Vol I Issue XVII - April 21, 2006

Topalov vs. Kramnik is on!

On the 13th of April FIDE announced that GM Veselin Topalov, the current FIDE World Champion, and GM Vladimir Kramnik, the current Classical World Champion, will battle it out on the board in what FIDE is calling the World Championship match. A prize fund of 1,000,000 US dollars has been put aside for the match. Set to take place September 21st through October 13th 2006 in Elista, Kalmykia, the two players will battle it out over 12 games.

There has been controversy in the chess world for years on who is really the world champion in chess. Some enthusiast have said that it is Kramnik, other say it's Topalov, even others say it's former World Champion GM Garry Kasparov who held the number one ranking for over twenty years.

Who is it really? Let's take a look.

September 1986: Kasparov took on World Champion GM Anatoly Karpov in London for the world title. Only nine months after their previous 48 game matchup in Moscow. Kasparov defeated Karpov with a score of 12.5-11.5.

October 1993: While FIDE continued to hold world championship matches, Kasparov and FIDE began to have political battles and Kasparov refused to play in world championship matches. Still claiming he was the true world champion, Kasparov started his own chess organization called the PCA and held his own PCA "Classical" World Championship match.

October 2000: Kasparov took on GM Vladimir Kramnik for the PCA "Classical" World Championship in a 16 game match played in London. In the eyes of the participants and many observers, this was a match for the world championship, although FIDE, which has administered the title from 1948-present, did not recognize the match as such. Kramnik won the match 8.5 - 6.5 without losing a game!

February 2004 Although this was not a world championship match, Kramnik won undivided first place in the Tournament of Linares for the first time, finishing undefeated ahead of Garry Kasparov, the world's highest-rated player. GM Veselin Topalov played in this tournament as well finishing a full point behind Kramnik.

February 2005 Kasparov retired from chess and continued to hold the number one ranking in the world until April 2006.

September 2005 FIDE held an eight-player round robin World Championship tournament in San Luis, Argentina. Recently-retired Kasparov and Kramnik were both invited to play in the tournament, both refused. Out of the tournament came a new World Champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria with such an impressive performance over the rest of the field that many immediately touted Topalov as the real world champion.

Current Kramnik vs. Topalov Record:
Kramnik: 19
Topalov: 9
Draws: 33

FIDE has stated on their web site: "This great match will undoubtedly end any confusion about the World Championship status after the unfortunate schism which occurred in 1993."

Who do you feel is the real world champion?

You view the FIDE press release for more details on the match.

White to mate in three

Problem #367 **
submitted by sdrawkcab

To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 367

Then type:
play trainingbot

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Kozul and Ekaterina Win European Titles

GM Zdenko Kozul of Croatia proved to be the top player in the men's section at this year's 2006 European Individual Championships in Kusadasi, Turkey. Kozul finished the tournament with a score of 8.5/11 a half point ahead of GM Vassily Ivanchuk.

Kozul entered the tournament seeded number 27th, out of 197 players, with a rating of 2600. Kozul had an outstanding performance with six wins, five draws, and not a single lost.

In the women's section the top player this year proved to be WGM Atalik Ekaterina of Turkey who entered the tournament seeded number 20th, out of 107 players, with a rating of 2399. Ekaterina also finished the tournament with 8.5/11 having six wins, five draws, and not a single loss.

This year's event, held at the five star Korumar Hotel on Kusadasi's finest Aegean seaside beach, was hosted by the Turkish Chess Federation. The total prize fund for this year's event was 78,000 Euros.

79 GM, 38 IM and 6 FM from 36 countries participated in the men's section and . 2 GM, 23 IM, 1 FM, 23 WGM, 23 WIM and 10 WFM from 27 countries participated in the women's section.

2006 European Individual Championships

Finals Men's Standings (Top 10)

1  GM Kozul Zdenko           2606 CRO     8.5
2  GM Ivanchuk Vassily       2731 UKR     8.0
3  GM Georgiev Kiril         2677 BUL     7.0
4  GM Izoria Zviad           2647 GEO     7.0
5  GM Macieja Bartlomiej     2584 POL     7.0
6  GM Nikolic Predrag        2596 BIH     7.0
7  GM Inarkiev Ernesto       2602 RUS     7.0
8  GM Naiditsch Arkadij      2664 GER     7.0
9  GM Belov Vladimir         2599 RUS     7.0
10 GM Baramidze David        2545 GER     7.0

Finals Women's Standings (Top 10)

1  WGM Atalik Ekaterina      2393 TUR     8.5
2   IM Bosboom Lanchava Tea  2380 NED     8.0
3  WGM Zhukova Natalia       2425 UKR     7.5
4   GM Stefanova Antoaneta   2502 BUL     7.5
5  WIM Gvetadze Sopio        2361 GEO     7.5
6  WGM Muzychuk Anna         2418 SLO     7.5
7   IM Dembo Yelena          2464 GRE     7.5
8   IM Gaponenko Inna        2430 UKR     7.5
9  WGM Kadimova Ilaha        2310 AZE     7.5
10  IM Mkrtchian Lilit       2453 ARM     7.5

Congratulations to both players for their outstanding achievement!

You can view the results on the ICC tournament page. You can also download all the games from the men's section and the women's section.


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Game commentary from IM Malcolm Pein IM Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph.
Kozul,Z (2600) - Naiditsch,A (2657) [E12] 7th ch-Euro Kusadasi TUR (9), 13.04.2006 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.a3 Queen's Indian Petrosian System aims to control e4 4...Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 [5...Be7 6.d5! followed by e4 taking the centre] 6.cxd5 Nxd5 Although this allows White to construct a pawn centre it is more active than exd5 blocking the Bb7 7.e3 [7.e4 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Bxe4] 7...Be7 8.Bb5+ c6 [8...Nd7 9.Ne5!] 9.Bd3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 c5 11.0-0 Nc6 12.Bb2 Rc8 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Rad1 cxd4 15.exd4 Kasparov used to play cxd4 in this kind of position followed by e4 and d5 with a kingside attack but this move is perfectly playable 15...Bf6 16.c4 Na5 [16...Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.Bxd4 Qxd4 19.Bxh7+ wins the queen] 17.Ne5 Bxe5 18.Qxe5 Qc7 It is very risky to allow White to force ...g6 [18...Nxc4 Seems to equalise 19.Bxc4 Rxc4 20.d5 Qf6 (20...Rg4!? 21.f3 Rg5 22.dxe6 Rxe5 23.exf7+ Kxf7 24.Rxd8 Rxd8 25.Bxe5=) 21.Qe2 Qh4 22.dxe6 Qe4 23.Qxe4 Rxe4 24.Rd7 Bc6=] 19.Qh5 g6 [19...f5!?] 20.Qh6 Nxc4 21.Bxc4 Qxc4 22.d5 f6 23.Rd4! Doubling rooks doubles the threats 23...Qb3 24.dxe6! Qxe6 [24...Qxb2 25.Rd7] 25.Rfd1 Rfe8 26.h3 Qc6 27.f3 A difficult position to defend. In opposite bishop middlegamesthe activity of the bishops usually counts for more than a pawn or two 27...Re2? [If 27...Qc5 28.Kh1 Qf8 29.Qd2 Rc7 30.Rd6 Rf7 31.Qf4 White has strong pressure] 28.Rd8+ Rxd8 29.Rxd8+ Re8 30.Bxf6! Kf7 [30...Rxd8 31.Qg7#] 31.Qg7+ Ke6 32.Rd1 1-0


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ICC Puzzle Solution

1.g7+ Ke7 2.Qxe5+ Kf7 3.gxh8=N#