  Linares:
Battle of the Ages
The two-continent affair that is Morelia-Linares
has now moved from Mexico to its ancestral home in Spain
- and it's now turning into an intriguing duel of the ages
between world champion Vishy Anand, and the young
pretender to his throne, Magnus Carlsen!
Both players are setting a blistering
pace in a super-tournament that seems to be breaking all
records for decisive games, with 20(!) so far from 36. Top
seed Anand holds onto what could well become a crucial
half point lead at the top - but he doesn't need to look
down too far to find his hungry young challenger, with his
third successive win, hot on his tail and looking for his
second successive super-tournament victory in as many months.
 And
in what could well be a portent of things to come, the big
showdown between Anand and Carlsen is set
for today (Sat., 1 March) in Linares - and you can catch
a ringside seat for it at ICC Chess.FM, with commentary
coming from Mig Greengard and GM Larry Christiansen.
We'll also have the New In Chess trivia
contest (where each day you can win a 1-year subscription
to New In Chess), each round a Game
of the Day video, our roving reporter Macauley
Peterson's on-site videos from both Morelia and Linares,
and a special
Linares preview video - free for all - from our opening
day commentator, GM Ronen Har-Zvi.
On ICC, finger
Linares08 Official site: www.ajedrezmorelialinares.com.mx
Macauley Video Coverage
| # |
|
|
1
|
In Transit - Macauley's having
a hard time getting to Morelia
|
|
2
|
First kNight - Aronian, Carlsen,
Topalov
|
|
3
|
Aronian Strikes Back - Aronian
stuns Anand on the black side of a sharp Marshall
|
|
4
|
Winning with White, Holding with
Black: Topalov takes the lead
|
|
5
|
Tennis with MAGNUS - Aronian &
Sargissian join Carlsen and his father Henrik
|
|
6
|
When Blunder Strikes - Ivanchuk's
second, Hoyos, and Vassily's time pressure melt down
|
|
7
|
Magnus Carlsen LIVE on Chess.FM
- Magnus chats with Mig & Macauley after his Round
5 win
|
|
8
|
A Spoiled Novelty - Leko's deep
think (with Mig, LarryC & 2007 footage from ChessVibes.com)
|
|
9
|
Heading to Linares - Anand, Carlsen,
Radjabov, Shirov and Topalov reflect on the first
half
|
|
10
|
Round 8 GOTD UPDATE - Radjabov
explains why he offered the draw
|
Free Game of the Day
| ROUND |
DATE |
GAME OF DAY VIDEO |
HOST |
|
1
|
2/15/08
|
|
GM Ronen Har-Zvi
|
|
2
|
2/16/08
|
|
GM John Fedorowicz
|
|
3
|
2/17/08
|
|
GM Nick De Firmian
|
|
4
|
2/19/08
|
|
GM Larry Christiansen
|
|
5
|
2/20/08
|
|
GM Joel Benjamin
|
|
6
|
2/22/08
|
|
GM Larry Christiansen
|
|
7
|
2/23/08
|
|
GM Joel Benjamin
|
|
8
|
2/28/08
|
|
GM Jon Speelman
|
|
9
|
2/29/08
|
|
GM Ronen Har-Zvi
|
Round 10 Pairings | Saturday, March 1 10:00am ICC (Eastern)
| N |
FLAG |
FIDE |
WHITE |
RES |
BLACK |
FIDE |
FLAG |
| 1 |
 |
2799 |
Anand |
- |
Carlsen |
2733 |
 |
| 2 |
 |
2755 |
Shirov |
- |
Leko |
2753 |
 |
| 3 |
 |
2751 |
Ivanchuk |
- |
Topalov |
2780 |
 |
| 4 |
 |
2735 |
Radjabov |
- |
Aronian |
2739 |
 |
|
Round 9 Results
| N |
FLAG |
FIDE |
WHITE |
RES |
BLACK |
FIDE |
FLAG |
| 1 |
|
2739 |
Aronian |
½-½ |
Anand |
2799 |
|
| 2 |
|
2780 |
Topalov |
½-½ |
Radjabov |
2735 |
|
| 3 |
|
2753 |
Leko |
0-1 |
Ivanchuk |
2751 |
|
| 4 |
|
2733 |
Carlsen |
1-0 |
Shirov |
2755 |
|
|
Score After 9 Rounds | Morelia-Linares - Cat. XXI
| N |
FLAG |
NAME |
FED |
FIDE |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
PTS |
| 1 |
|
Shirov |
ESP |
2755 |
|
½ 0 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
1 |
½ |
0 0 |
4 |
| 2 |
|
Carlsen |
NOR |
2733 |
½ 1 |
|
½ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
½ 1 |
0 |
5½ |
| 3 |
|
Leko |
HUN |
2753 |
½ |
½ |
|
0 |
½ |
1 ½ |
0 0 |
0 |
3 |
| 4 |
|
Topalov |
BUL |
2780 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
1 0 |
½ ½ |
1 |
½ |
4½ |
| 5 |
|
Aronian |
ARM |
2739 |
½ |
0 |
½ |
0 1 |
|
½ |
1 |
1 ½ |
5 |
| 6 |
|
Radjabov |
AZE |
2735 |
0 |
1 |
0 ½ |
½ ½ |
½ |
|
½ |
½ |
4 |
| 7 |
|
Ivanchuk |
UKR |
2751 |
½ |
½ 0 |
1 1 |
0 |
0 |
½ |
|
½ |
4 |
| 8 |
|
Anand |
IND |
2799 |
1 1 |
1 |
1 |
½ |
0 ½ |
½ |
½ |
|
6 |
|
|
GM Ronen Har-Zvi: "New Ideas
in the Slav and Semi-Slav Defences"
 |
|
In a series of new opening videos for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends that will keep you up-to-date in the rock-solid Slav and Semi-Slav Defences.
Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Ronen's
latest video. To listen to the full videos, sign
up for membership!
|
"Chess Talk" with IM John Watson
 Tune-in
for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John's weekly 60+ minute show (members only) will feature an interview with leading chess personalities.
This week (Tue., 26 Feb.), John's guest
is National Master Ron Gross of Las Vegas. Ron has
been playing chess in the United States for close to 50
years. He first met Bobby Fischer back in 1955 at the US
Junior Championship in Nebraska, and the two had kept in
regular touch over the years.
He has remained one of Fischer's oldest
chess-playing friends and has a wealth of unheard stories
about the recently deceased former world champion - both
from their days as junior contemporaries and throughout
the years up to Fischer's world championship win and beyond.
Find below a selection of free 5-minute
previews of the latest shows. To listen to the full shows,
sign
up for membership!
Attack with LarryC!
 New
at ICC Chess.FM - Attack With LarryC! A
weekly 30 min+ show on Wednesdays at 15:00 EST
(and available on-demand thereafter for members), featuring
three-time U.S. Champion Larry Christiansen, one of the
most dangerous and respected attacking players of his generation.
Larry is a feared competitor and attacker who authored two popular books that showcase his aggressive style: Storming the Barricades and Rocking the Ramparts. And each week on his show, Larry will feature various
attacking motifs and themes and showing you how best to play for mate.
Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Larry's latest
video. This video is just one of the many benefits of being
a full member of ICC - so, sign
up for membership!
Ask the Renaissance Man
 |
|
Tune-in for "Ask the Renaissance Man" with National Master Dan Heisman every Thursday at 21:00 EST. You send in the questions and Dan provides the answers every week on his Q&A
show. Questions on tournament rules, opening play, chess books, chess politics, current events, and more!
Click
"Play Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Dan's
latest show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
|
Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide
 |
|
New at ICC Chess.FM - In his new
weekly video lecture series for ICC, Boris
Alterman's Gambit Guide, Boris will investigate
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.
Show Previews:
Danish Gambit Part 1 Part
2
Evans
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
|
Israeli GM Boris Alterman is best known as a leading chess advisor for the multi-title winning chess software program (Deep) Junior, where he specialized in developing its opening book.
GM Joel Benjamin "Game of the Week"
 Three-time
U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin starts his
weekly show every Friday at 15:00 Server Time. Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Joel's latest
show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
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 is a not-to-be-missed 30-minute video is exclusively for ICC members only -- so if you want to get ahead of the game, get ready to tune-in! By popular demand and requests from members, ALL
of Joel Benjamin's GOTW videos are available. Enjoy! |
|
Random Wilds (w29) Championship Recap!
 In
the 1 0 bullet section, the quad elimination final
was won by this year's champion, MoltenThinker.
In the final match he defeated runner-up Tornon.
Invaincu finished in the 3rd position. The
blitz section was a 3 0 triple elimination format.
This time Tornon got his championship, defeating
runner-up ThuG in the final match. WhiteKiller
was able to finish third in the tourney. Another exciting
year of wild 29 championships is over, but we'll be
looking for you next February to see if you can become
a champion!
Saturday
Ratings-Limited Blitz!
Every Sunday morning at 10:00
server time, 2 ratings limited bullet tourneys are
played! Olive hosts a 2 1 under 1800 rated swiss 7
round tourney. At the same time, flash hosts a 1 0
over 1700 rated swiss 9 round tourney. It's a great
chance to play bullet against players of your rating
level. Come on out and enjoy!
|
|
|
|
March
Marathon!
It's that time again! The March
Marathon is right around the corner. In case you've
never had the pleasure of playing, here are the details:
The Marathon begins at 12:00 on March 8th and continues
until 12:00 on March 9th. During that time, continuous
tournaments will be held in five categories. Flash
hosts over 1800 1 0 bullet, Olive has the under 1800
1 0 bullet, Tomato runs under 1600 5 0 blitz, Cooly
hosts the over 1600 5 0 blitz, and Slomato runs 15
0 standard chess. The top 3 finishers for most total
points and most total games played win prizes!"help
Marathon" for full details.
 Tourney
Tip of the Week:
How long do tournaments usually
stay open? Well, honestly, this tends to vary based
on the manager, but here's a rule of thumb: In impromptu
(non-scheduled) tourneys, managers will usually try
to get a tourney started withing about 10 minutes
of opening it. In scheduled tourneys, the tournament
opens between 15-20 minutes prior to the start. Scheduled
tourneys will always go off at the scheduled time.
To find these scheduled tourneys, simply open your
Events window and click on the arrow that says "Click
Here for Today's Events".
|
|
|
ICC Quiz #5546
White Mates in 2
To play this puzzle on
the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 5546
Then type: play trainingbot
|
|
|
|
ICC Quiz #5397
White mates in 4
To play this puzzle on
the ICC type:
tell trainingbot number 5397
Then type: play trainingbot
|
Secrets of Opening Surprises Volume 8 - Bosch
 Ready-to-go
chess opening ideas.
Readers of this series can ignore
large areas of the ever expanding chess opening theory.
They can concentrate on these surprising ideas, because
SOS variations deviate very early from the regular
lines in mainstream openings. Ideal for players who
don’t have enough time to keep abreast with main
line theory. Appears twice a year.
144 pages.
Price $21.95
- 
Buy
now!
Chess Tips for the Improving Player - Amatzia Avni
 Chess
Tips for the Improving Player gives practical
advice for club players who want to take the next
step towards chess mastery. Amatzia Avni looks at
life from an unusual angle. His approach is far more
creative than merely offering the usual tips such
as “develop your pieces” and “control
the centre”.
Instead of repeating cliche's seen before in countless
books, the author scrutinized a huge number of chess
positions, asking himself, ‘What can be learned
from them?’. The reader can now benefit from
Avni’s painstaking efforts.
Amatzia Avni is an Israeli psychologist who is a
FIDE Master both over-the-board and of composition.
He has written several original and critically acclaimed
books. This is his first book for Quality Chess.
Published by Quality Chess,
233 pages
Price $29.95
-
Buy
now!
|
|
|
|
Roman's Lab - Vol 51: Building Powerful Attacks
by Learning Piece Coordination
 Building
Powerful Attacks by Learning Piece Coordination
On this DVD Roman will demonstate through several
games how to dominate your opponent through piece
coordination. You will see how cohesive piece coordination
will double or even triple the value of your pieces.
This DVD will also show you the quick demise of your
position if your pieces are not working together.
GrandMaster Roman Dzindzichashvili
* Former two time U.S. Champion
& Russian Champion
* World Open Winner, Writer & Teacher
* Former Chess Coach & Trainer for World Champions
Gary Kasparov & Anatoly Karpov
Includes MasterChess 6000 and
many software demos.
Price $19.95
-
Buy
now!
Roman's Lab - Vol 52: Finding Tactical Solutions
in Overwhelming Positions
 Tactics
and Combinations are the essentials of every chess
game and are easier to find when you know the tactical
themes, example mate in 3, pins, forks etc. On this
DVD Roman explains how to find over the board tactics
& combinations by recognizing weakness in your
opponent's position and with logical thinking you
will be able to exploit these weaknesses.
Price $19.95
-
Buy
now!
|
|
Solution to
ICC Quiz #5546
1.Qh7+ Kxh7
(1...Kf7 2.g8=Q#) 2.g8=Q#
JimGrange Vs qk, ICC Standard 2007
|
|
|
|
Solution to
ICC Quiz #5397
1.Qb7+ Kd7 2.Bc6+
Ke6 3.Qb3+ Kf5 4.Be4# (or 4.g4#)
submitted by HoHo
|
|
|
|
