ICC Chess.FM

	3:00pm ICC Aug 29, 2008 12:00pm PDT Aug 29, 2008 1:00pm MDT Aug 29, 2008 2:00pm CDT Aug 29, 2008 3:00pm EDT Aug 29, 2008 20:00 BST Aug 29, 2008 21:00 CEST Aug 29, 2008 3:00pm EDT Aug 29, 2008	GM Benjamin "Game of the Week" GOTW
	9:30am ICC Aug 30, 2008 6:30am PDT Aug 30, 2008 7:30am MDT Aug 30, 2008 8:30am CDT Aug 30, 2008 9:30am EDT Aug 30, 2008 14:30 BST Aug 30, 2008 15:30 CEST Aug 30, 2008 9:30am EDT Aug 30, 2008	India with Arvind Aaron
	3:00pm ICC Sep 01, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 01, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 01, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 01, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 01, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 01, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 01, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 01, 2008	GM Ronen Har-Zvi
	3:00pm ICC Sep 02, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 02, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 02, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 02, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 02, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 02, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 02, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 02, 2008	Chess Talk with IM John Watson
	3:00pm ICC Sep 03, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 03, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 03, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 03, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 03, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 03, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 03, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 03, 2008	Attack with LarryC! video series
	3:00pm ICC Sep 04, 2008 12:00pm PDT Sep 04, 2008 1:00pm MDT Sep 04, 2008 2:00pm CDT Sep 04, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 04, 2008 20:00 BST Sep 04, 2008 21:00 CEST Sep 04, 2008 3:00pm EDT Sep 04, 2008	GM Boris Alterman
	9:00pm ICC Sep 04, 2008 6:00pm PDT Sep 04, 2008 7:00pm MDT Sep 04, 2008 8:00pm CDT Sep 04, 2008 9:00pm EDT Sep 04, 2008 02:00 BST Sep 05, 2008 03:00 CEST Sep 05, 2008 9:00pm EDT Sep 04, 2008	Ask the Reinassance Man NM Dan Heisman

 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!

 NH Chess Tournament

Age and guile is proving no match for youth and innocence right now at the NH Chess Tournament, as the 'Rising Stars' are running rampant over the 'Experience' team by the crushing score so far of 12-3. This unique event is organized in co-operation with the Monaco-based Association Max Euwe, running August 20-30, at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Experience team includes: Bareev (Russia, 2655), Kortchnoi (Switzerland, 2602), Jussupow (Germany, 2587), Agdestein (Norway, 2583) and Ljubojevic (Serbia, 2555). The Rising Stars team includes Wang Yue (China, 2704), Cheparinov (Bulgaria, 2687), Caruana (Italy, 2630), Stellwagen (The Netherlands, 2616) and Erwin l'Ami (The Netherlands, 2610).

ICC Chess.FM's Macauley Peterson (voted Journalist of the Year by the Chess Journalists of America) brings us his inimitable spin on this intriguing match-up, with daily videos throughout, along with Peter Doggers of ChessVibes.com.

 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.

New at ICC Chess.FM

GM Ronen Har-Zvi "Unusual Queen Pawn Openings"

In his "New Ideas in...." regular video series for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends in those downright annoying and unusual Queen Pawn openings that avoid the main battle-lines with 2 c4. Are you searching for a quick-fix against the Colle-Zukertort, Torre Attack, London System, QB Attack with 2 Bg5, Stonewall Attack or perhaps the King's Fianchetto Attack with 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 g3 (without c4)? Then look no further as Ronen gives you an easy-to-play antidote to all those annoying 1 d4 openings.

Preview Watch (members only) Part 1

IM Alex Lenderman "Manest on The Slav"

The solid Slav Defence with 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 is enjoying a renaissance these days thanks to its extreme solidity and abundant possibilities for dynamic counter-play. Many masters of Slavic descent helped develop its theory in the 1920s, but its popularity increased dramatically after two exhaustive trials during the Alekhine-Euwe World Championship encounters of 1935 and 1937. It had a lengthy hiatus thereafter - but now, thanks to a modern-day re-evaluation of its theory, the Slav is back in vogue again both at grandmaster and club level. And in a new three-part opening video series for ICC Chess.FM, IM Alex Lenderman (manest) provides an ideal primer for anyone looking to learn the nuances of this perennial favorite.

Preview Watch (members only) Part 1
Preview Watch (members only) Part 2
Preview Watch (members only) Part 3

GM Ronen Har-Zvi "Ronen's Blunderland"

With Chess Talk and John Watson on vacation until September, each Tuesday through August Chess.FM will have a "summer special" with some new videos for you all to enjoy.  First up is part one of Ronen's Blunderland, as our own GM Ronen Har-Zvi follows up on the success of his Winter Blunderland special from last year. This time, with the Anand-Kramnik match looming on the horizon, Ronen takes a look at blunders of the world champions.  Yes, it can even happen to the best of them!

Preview Watch (members only) Part 1
Preview Watch (members only) Part 2

GM Ronen Har-Zvi "New Ideas in the Petroff Defence"

The Petroff Defence (sometimes called the Russian Defence, and named after Russia's Alexander Petrov, 1794-1867) is considered as one of Black’s most reliable and solid methods of meeting the king’s pawn opening. It is easy to play and an excellent choice for someone looking for an alternative to the Scotch Opening, the Italian Game and the ‘Spanish torture’ of the Ruy Lopez. Until a few years ago, the Petroff was an opening that was favored by only a few top Grandmasters, including Anatoly Karpov and Artur Yusupov. However, the last few years have seen a dramatic rise in its popularity, and it now provides battlefields for many top clashes of the modern elite players, including Anand, Kramnik, Leko, Topalov, and Shirov. And in the latest of his "New Ideas in..." series, GM Ronen Har-Zvi, takes a closer look under the microscope at the solid Petroff.

Preview Watch (members only) Part 1
Preview Watch (members only) Part 2
Preview Watch (members only) Part 3
Preview Watch (members only) Part 4
Preview Watch (members only) Part 5
Preview Watch (members only) Part 6
Preview Watch (members only) Part 7
Preview Watch (members only) Part 8
Preview Watch (members only) Part 9
Preview Watch (members only) Part 10
Preview Watch (members only) Part 11
Preview Watch (members only) Part 12

NM Dan Heisman "Improve Your Chess"

National Master Dan Heisman is a name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Over the years, Dan has produced many winning students and scholastic teams - and now he can help you, too! In this series of five instructional videos for ICC Chess.FM, Dan brings you his innovative teaching methods on how to play better chess - and all packed with sound advice from the maestro himself.

Watch the videos here.

IM Alex Lenderman "The Caro-Kann Defense, Advance Variation"

IM Alex Lenderman shows how to play the Advance Variation of the Caro-Kann Defense. Watch (members only) Free preview To become a member subscribe today!

GM Ronen Har-Zvi "New Ideas in the Marshall Attack"

One of the world’s first Grandmasters of chess, America’s Frank J. Marshall (1877-1944), left behind a lasting legacy to the chess world with his revered gambit against the Ruy Lopez – the Marshall Attack with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 0-0 8 c3 d5! The Marshall Attack is one of the most important openings in the history of chess and is still deployed with regularity at super Grandmaster level. In current theory the ideas and strategies of both approaches are studied in-depth, and nowadays experts have come to the conclusion that White has no clear superiority in the main theoretical lines. And in the latest of his "New Ideas in..." series, GM Ronen Har-Zvi, takes a closer look under the microscope at Marshall's revolutionary idea.

Preview Watch (members only) Part 1
Preview Watch (members only) Part 2
Preview Watch (members only) Part 3
Preview Watch (members only) Part 4
Preview Watch (members only) Part 5
Preview Watch (members only) Part 6
Preview Watch (members only) Part 7
Preview Watch (members only) Part 8
Preview Watch (members only) Part 9
Preview Watch (members only) Part 10

GM Ronen Har-Zvi "New Ideas in the Slav and Semi-Slav Defences"

In a series of 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. Sneak FREE preview of the last video.

This content is for members only. Subscribe to ICC today!

Pete Tamburro "The Sizzling Scandinavian"

The Scandinavian Defense (or Centre Counter) has risen in a relatively short time from being a theoretical backwater to a fully-blown main line opening. Its change in name to the Scandinavian came in the mid-1980s with its rehabilitation at top level by Denmark's Bent Larsen. And its rise since then has been nothing short of meteoric, even being used with great effect by Vishy Anand in his unsuccessful 1995 world title match against Garry Kasparov.

Against 1 e4, the Scandinavian is hugely popular at club level because Black gains a minor psychological victory by setting the agenda from the off with 1..d5! And in his new ICC Chess.FM series on the Scandinavian, Pete Tamburro explores the 2...Qxd5 lines in five videos (and with a two volume set to come later on 2 ..Nf6) that will take you through all the key themes and strategies required for Black to play this popular, and easy-to-play opening with confidence - and sizzling success!

Part 1 is free for everybody. To watch the rest sign up for membership!

Play Part 1 (FREE!)
Play Part 2 (Members only)
Play Part 3 (Members only)
Play Part 4 (Members only)
Play Part 5 (Members only)

IM Alex Lenderman "Endgame for Beginners"

IM Alex Lenderman provides a two-part, introductory lecture about chess endings. Follow along as he annotates moves upon the board for play-by-play action. Part 1 Watch (members only) Free preview Part 2 Watch (m