Added on 01.02.2018
We’ll start the year off with a bang, as I have some great action from the World Rapid Championship plus a little extra bonus from the World Blitz, also held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I can say with authority that sometimes it feels like there is no counterplay for old men. But don’t tell that to Vishy Anand, who at age 48 is the World Rapid Champion. He tallied 10.5/15 and won a playoff match over Vladimir Fedoseev for the title. Let’s start by showing an awesome cheap shot Vishy used...Full StoryAdded on 01.01.2018
"Here is the January 2018 schedule for ICC TV! Join us this month and become a star on ICC and YouTube!" - GM David Smerdon 01/06 Saturday 2PM IM Christof Sielecki SimulMaster! 01/12 Friday 4PM GM Ronen Har-Zvi Time Odds! 01/14 Sunday 6PM GM David Smerdon Banter Blitz 01/18 Thursday 1PM GM Alex Yermolinsky Tata Steel 2018 -...Full StoryAdded on 12.26.2017
HO, HO HO, Merry Christmas! The traditional tournaments of the holiday season generally run through Christmas to New Year’s, so there was a bit of the calm before the storm last week. So I will have lots of games from the Nutcracker Match of Generations…but first, a few thoughts on the World Blitz and Rapid Championships, just underway in Saudi Arabia. Magnus Carlsen and Bu Xiangzhi. Photo from the official website The prize fund has been bumped up to 2 million dollars, but the choice...Full StoryAdded on 12.18.2017
This week we have history made in the Russian Superfinal, and the computer chess world, as well as a visit to the Elite Mind Games in China. Peter Svidler took his record eighth title in the Russian Championship. GM Peter Svidler This one really seemed to come out of nowhere—just a few days before the end he seemed to be having a very ordinary tournament. Svidler started with half out of 2, then defeated two tailenders over the next several rounds. An “accidental” victory over Vladimir...Full StoryAdded on 12.12.2017
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Photo by Lennart Ootes When the World Champion loses a game, it's immediate history. "Magnus Carlsen collapsed in London!"; "The fog of the city took Magnus away!"; and you can unleash your fantasy here, to create shocking headlines about the round eight Norwegiandisaster. It's rather funny to see all the questions that ONE game provokes: "Is Magnus as dominant as Kasparov was?"; "Did Magnus prepare for this game?"; "Maybe he should stop going out with girls and think about his chess?". The...Full StoryAdded on 12.08.2017
The first three rounds of the 9th London Chess Classic were, at first sight, a bit disappointing. 15 draws out of 15 games. But it's only apparent, as there was no lack of fighting spirit among the players. But of course we all expect the elite players to try harder, and try to win a game. The Grand Chess Tour has been the subject of some polemics or, at least, some doubts about its format. The top guys play the same opponents tournament after tournament, with the worry about their precious...Full StoryAdded on 12.04.2017
The London Chess Classic got off to a sluggish start, but I’ll tell you who I thought fought the hardest in the first two rounds. We will also look at a near upset in the concurrent British Knockout Championship, and finally enjoy a spectacular early game from the Russian Superfinal. The usual suspects are playing in the London Classic, a ten-player round robin. None of the games from the first two rounds produced a decisive result. I think that Hikaru Nakamura at least came close, so...Full StoryAdded on 12.01.2017
"Here is the December 2017 schedule for ICC TV! Join us this month and become a star on ICC and YouTube!" - GM John Fedorowicz 12/07 Thursday 2PM GM Alex Yermolinsky GM Yermolinsky recaps the London Chess Classic LIVE 12/08 Friday 4PM GM Ronen Har-Zvi Time Odds! 12/10 Sunday 6PM GM Alex Yermolinsky GM Yermolinsky recaps the London Chess Classic LIVE...Full StoryAdded on 11.30.2017
The echo of the 4th and decisive FIDE Grand Prix is still resounding, but the chess circus doesn't stop, and one of the most exciting tournaments of the year is upon us: the London Chess Classic starts December the 1st, at 9 AM EST. Here is the schedule, from the official website The Candidates' line-up is complete now. In March we will know how is the next challenger to Magnus Carlsen's title. Meanwhile, the top guys gather in the beautiful London, to contest the crown to Wesley So, last...Full StoryAdded on 11.27.2017
This week I’ll have the story from the World Junior Championships. But first, let’s wrap up the Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix. In a tightly packed field, Levon Aronian made his move early and coasted to a share of first place with 5.5/9. Dmitry Jakovenko made his move late and joined him on that score. But the tournament winners were really a secondary story to the overall points race in the Grand Prix, which would determine the final two spots in the Candidates Tournament, which will...Full StoryAdded on 11.26.2017
Palma de Mallorca, capital of the beautiful Spanish island part of the Balearic archipelago, hosted the 4th FIDE Grand Prix, to assign the last two spots in the Candidates' Tournament, which will decide the next World Champion's challenger. Mamedyarov and Grischuk were awaiting the results as they led the standings but didn't play in Palma. As it was, Radjabov and MVL couldn't improve their scores sufficiently to catch them. Dmitry Jakovenko won the event on tiebreaks over Levon Aronian,...Full StoryAdded on 11.20.2017
This week we wrap up our coverage of the St. Louis Showdowns with a look in at the World Champ, and we check out action from the early going in the Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix. Magnus Carlsen won his match in convincing fashion over Ding Liren by a score of 67-25. I don’t know how exactly the weighted scoring system worked, but they contested 4 games at g/30, 6 at g/20, 8 at g/10, and 12 at g/5. 30 games seems like a lot to me; even spread out over a few days, there would have to be...Full StoryAdded on 11.15.2017
This final show started began with the announcement that ICC is discontinuing this particular format, at least for now, and I’ll be creating video series with chess material of all sorts. Stay tuned for an announcement of the new series. I’d love to do more shows with audience participation in the future and will look into ways to do this. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for their email and chat participation. The first question this week was about the Owen Defense, 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7....Full StoryAdded on 11.13.2017
Chess, being for the most part a non-physical sport, rarely requires players to play through injury. But in the Champions Showdown in St. Louis, we saw that and more in an unusual kind of tournament. The Showdown pitted eight players in four arduous deathmatches. The players contested games at different fast time controls—G/5. G/10, G/20, and G/30. The match between Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren started later, so I’ll recap that one next week. The other three matches are completed...Full StoryAdded on 11.07.2017
The University of Texas at Dallas vs. The University of Belgrade The Internet Chess Club is honored to host, once again, the Gligoric Transatlantic Cup, a chess tournament played on ICC's chess server between The University of Texas at Dallas and The University of Belgrade. The match is scheduled for November the 10th at 1:00 PM EST. Download the brochure HERE for all the info and the matchups.Added on 11.01.2017
"Here is the November 2017 schedule for ICC TV! Join us this month and become a star on ICC and YouTube!" - GM Joel Benjamin 11/01 Wednesday 1PM IM Vojislav "voja" Milanovic LIVE Simul vs. 20 players 11/02 Thursday 2PM GM Alex Yermolinsky Every Russian Schoolboy Knows LIVE! 11/03 Friday 4PM CM Tryfon Gavriel Let's Crush the Kings!...Full StoryAdded on 11.01.2017
Hi, everybody! Happy Halloween! Here is a report from my LIVE show. Tonight was All Hallows Eve, or Halloween as we say in the States. So when I was asked in an email what to do about the Halloween Gambit as Black, I couldn’t resist starting the show with it. It begins with the outrageous sacrifice 1e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nxe5!?. Black has several ways to gain a nice advantage if he knows what he’s doing. Here is the game: your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes...Full StoryAdded on 10.30.2017
Watch the video! This week I have analysis of an interesting match between Vassily Ivanchuk and Wei Yi, followed by an intro to the European Team Championship. The organizers of the Hoogeveen chess festival chose wisely with the elite grandmasters in this match. The veteran Ivanchuk is one of the most uncompromising players on the circuit. His level can be very variable, but he can always be counted on for fighting chess. The teenager Wei Yi has already become a favorite on my show as he...Full StoryAdded on 10.29.2017
Participate in ICC's Halloween picture contest and win a free copy of Houdini 6, the strongest chess engine ever! Send us a picture of yourself playing chess on ICC, Halloween costume a bonus but not mandatory, and become eligible to win a free copy of Houdini 6, the latest version of an amazingly strong chess engine. How to participate: Twitter Mention @chessICC with your picture and use hashtag #halloween Facebook Visit our page at www.facebook.com/InternetChessClub and post...Full Story