 Oh, Mexico!
 It sounds so good, they just all want to go…but who will it be?
After a competitive week that saw a record-breaking 1,838 players taking part in the 6 ICC Mexico City qualifiers, the massive field has now been whittled down to the final 32 players!
And of the 32 battling it out in this weekend’s final on ICC, the charge is led by 10 grandmasters, 12 International Masters and 2 FIDE Masters. Heading the field is the Armenian ace GM Gabriel Sargissian,
and he’ll faces stiff opposition from his fellow GMs such as Rauf Mamedov, Mark Paragua, Ehsan Ghaem Maghami and Daniel Fridman.
 The full 32-player list can be found by clicking here.
The main prize put up by ICC and their partners for this unique qualifier, the organizers of the forthcoming World Championships in Mexico City, will be a VIP ringside seat (September 13 until September 17) to watch
all the action involving Kramnik, Anand, Morozevich, Aronian, Grischuk, Leko, Svidler and Gelfand.
The package for the overall winner includes: $1500 USD (to be paid out only on arrival in Mexico) to cover their airfares and other expenses. Also included in the package is 4 nights (13-17
Sept.) at a top hotel in Mexico City, plus VIP tickets for the World Championships, and free entry into the "Copa Internacional de la Cd. De Mexico" Open.
So, sit back and watch all the thrills ‘n’ spills of the finals here on ICC from 14:00 Server Time on both days of Saturday, 11 August, and Sunday, 12 August. For full details of all the Mexico City qualifiers,
click here.
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   GM Joel Benjamin Game of the Week
Fridays
[15:00 EDT | 21:00 CET]
 New to ICC Chess.FM! Three-time
U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin starts
his new weekly show today at 15:00 Server Time. Joel is regarded by many as one of the best commentators and analysts' we have in the game today, and each Friday he will be giving us his insight and spin with his selection of Game of
the Week.
This
not-to-be-missed 30-minute video will also be on-demand for 7-days to ICC members -- so if you want to get ahead of the game, get ready to tune-in!
Chess FM page on our website. |
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John
Watson Chess & Book Show
 Tuesdays [21:00
EDT | 03:00 CET]
New on ICC Chess.FM! Tune-in for The
John Watson Chess & Book Show on ICC Chess.FM. Each Tuesday at 21:00 Server Time, John's 90+ minute show will review the latest titles, followed by a discussion of books and other chess topics with his
guests.
John's special guest this week (14 August) is GM John Fedorowicz. "The Fed" as he is affectionately known on the chess circuit, has captained the U.S. Olympiad team on two occasions and has frequently acted as
a second or advisor to World Championship candidate Gata Kamsky. He has written or co-written a number of chess books and many articles for magazines and here online at ICC. John, who under his handle of the "bronxbattler" is part of the ICC
Chess.FM commentary team, spends much of his time in his hometown New York community, teaching chess to children, giving private tuition and attending chess camps.
This show is one not to be missed and will be made available for 7 days ONDemand for members.
Chess FM page on our website. |
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 Correspondence
Chess on ICC!
  Try
correspondence chess today! Take time to think about your moves and work on your chess theory. No computers are allowed, but you can analyze a position for as long as you like! Games are played over weeks or even months. Type “Help
correspondence” for more info and all the commands you’ll need to play your games. Also do “+ channel 240” to add the correspondence channel!
5 0 Blitz Championships! Qualifiers beginning this week (August 11th)! There will be 2 sections; the open section, and the under 2000 section. All qualifiers will be 9 rounds swiss style, with the
top 5 finishers in each qualifier advancing to the final. Also, the top 3 players who didn’t otherwise qualify will advance to the finals. Will anyone be able to dethrone last year’s champion, akibael? Stay
tuned to find out!
Timeodds Battle! Every Sunday evening at 17:00 server time, a 2 0 Timeodds swiss 9 round tourney will be held in Olive. In timeodds, lower rated players get additional time, while the higher rated player
starts with only the 2 minutes. It’s unrated, it’s fun, and it’s happening every Sunday, so don’t miss it! “Help timeoddsbattle” for full details. |
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 Tourney
Tip of the Week:
Bettingbot! Bettingbot is a strictly for fun (no money involved) betting service on ICC that allows you to bet on your favorite players in all the ICC tourneys.
Other events are even featured from time
to time, such as horse races, tennis events, playoffs of major sports, and many other great events. Many ICC members enjoy the fun of Bettingbot, so why not give it a try and further enhance your ICC tournament enjoyment?
More details at “help
bettingbot” and “finger bettingbot”.
Also ask in channel 280 if you need assistance!
We run lots of tourneys and we always love
your input: Just
remember these simple guidelines and you’ll enjoy many of your favorite tournaments here on ICC!
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ICC
Quiz #3618
submitted by Beachball
White mates in 3
To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3618
Then type: play trainingbot
ICC Quiz #3789
submitted by Fighterknight
White mates in 2
To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3789
Then type: play trainingbot |
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| ICC
Quiz #3621
submitted by Allblood
White mates in 4
To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3621
Then type: play trainingbot
ICC Quiz #3793
submitted by Mikoyan
White mates in 3
To play this puzzle on the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 3793
Then type: play trainingbot |
NH Chess Tournament 2007
  Top
chess in the heart of Amsterdam
The youngest grandmaster in the world, Parimarjan Negi, the youngest grandmaster ever, Sergey Karjakin, and former world champion Alexander Khalifman are only a few of the stars who will compete in the NH
Chess Tournament in
Amsterdam, August 22 until September 1.
The ‘Experience’ team consists of Alexander Beliavsky (Slovenia), Artur Jussupow (Germany), Alexander Khalifman (Russia), Ljubomir Ljubojevic (Serbia) and Predrag
Nikolic (Bosnia). The ‘Rising Stars’ team
consists of Ivan Cheparinov (Bulgaria), Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine), Parimarjan Negi (India), Jan Smeets (The Netherlands) and Daniel Stellwagen (The Netherlands).
Apart from the prize money on offer, the best player on the ‘Rising Stars’ team (provided he has a positive score) gets an invite to the 2008 Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament in Monaco.
The games will be broadcast live on the official website and also the press conferences after the rounds in streaming video.
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Mainz Chess Classic
 
The annual extravaganza of the Mainz Chess Classic will soon be upon us, with the main event this year being a top-billing battle between Anand, Aronian, Kazimdzhanov and Bacrot for the GRENKELEASING
Rapid World Championship and the FiNet Chess960 Rapid World Championship.
Anand goes for the Chess960 crown
At this year’s Chess Classic in Mainz (August 13 - 19 at the Rheingoldhalle), the world’s new number one chess player will for the first time fight for the crown
in Chess960, where the starting position of each game is determined by chance. By winning the last six matches he fought in Mainz, Viswanathan Anand was able to prove that he is the strongest rapid chess player in the world
As ever, there will be grandmasters galore vying for the Ordix Open and the FiNet Chess960 Open, where among the line-up will be recent ICC Qualifier winner Tigran L. Petrosian of Armenia.
You have more information in the ICC LIVE coverage page. Also, visit the official website. |
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Foxy Openings Special - #75 + #76 - SAVE $5.95
 Foxy Openings 75: The London System 1.d4 2.Bf4
On this DVD IM Martin will teach you this very solid and sound easy to learn opening system. Read more
Foxy Openings 76: The Hippo with 1...b6, g6
On this DVD International Master Andrew Martin and author of the Hippopotamus Rises brings you an original, innovative, and provocative opening for black. Read
more
Price $37.95 - Buy
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Play 1...Nc6! - Wisnewski
 Drawing upon his wealth of practical experience in this
opening, which has produced a remarkable success rate and some notable Grandmaster scalps, Wisnewski uncovers the secrets behind 1...Nc6 and divulges his findings to the reader.
He examines both the critical main
lines and the tricky sidelines, and provides a thorough grounding in the crucial tactical and positional concepts for both White and Black. Reading through this book will allow you to begin playing 1...Nc6 with skill and assurance in your own games. Read
more
Price $22.95 - Buy
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My Daily Exercise: 365 Tactical Tests to Improve Your Chess - Heinz Brunthaler
 Most games of chess are decided through tactics. This is good news,
since virtually all players love tactics. The best advice for a novice who wants to improve quickly is therefore: improve your tactical abilities. This books helps in identifying weak points in the position of your opponent, in recognizing patterns
of combinations, and in visualizing tricks.
My Daily Exercise is neither just a freewheeling puzzle book, nor a systematic course in which the thematic grouping of the positions gives an unwelcome hint to the solution. Here the tactical themes are clearly
explained, but the random order in which the exercises are presented, makes studying the material much more similar to what a player experiences in an actual tournament game. Read
more
Price $17.95 - Buy
now!
Tactics in the Chess Opening 5: Indian Defences - Geert Van Der Stricht & Spike Ernst
 Every chess player loves to win early in the game with a deadly combination
or a cunning trap. On the other hand, nobody wants to be tricked by his opponent before the game has really started.
The popular series Tactics in the Chess Opening teaches how to recognize opportunities to attack early in the game. You will also learn how to avoid standard pitfalls in the opening. This book explains, in around 230 carefully
selected and annotated games, all the tactical themes and typical traps of the main lines in the Indian Openings and related systems like the Catalan Opening and the Benoni Defence. Read
more
Price $20.95
- Buy
now! |
Solution
to ICC Quiz #3618
submitted by Beachball
1.Qf7+ Kh8 2.Qf8+ Ng8 3.Nf7#
Solution to ICC Quiz #3789
submitted by Fighterknight
1.Qxc4+!! Nxc4 2.Bd5# |
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Solution
to ICC Quiz #3621
ssubmitted by Allblood
1.Qd6+! Ka8 2.Nc7+ Kb8 3.Nxe8+
(3.Na6++) Ka8 4.Qd8#
Solution to ICC Quiz #3793
submitted by Mikoyan
1. Nf6+! Ke7 2.Ng8+! Ke8 3.Qh5# |
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