Polgar and Leko will lead Hungary

Judit Polgar

Peter Leko and Judith Polgar will lead the Hungarian Olympic Chess team for Dresden 2008! They will be joined by our good friend Csaba Balogh, as well as Zoltan Almasi and Ferenc Berkes.

Anna Rudolf wins the Hungarian Women Chess Championship

After showing all year long that her form is improving with good performances at international tournaments, the young chess talent WGM Anna Rudolf captured the Hungarian Women Chess Championship title. In the last stage of the Hungarian women finals she defeated WIM Veronika Schneider with a total result 2,5-1,5.

"We are happy for the title and I hope more success will come in the future", Laszlo Rudolf, the father of Anna Rudolf, shared with Chessdom.com. "The victory makes Anna part of the Hungarian Olympic team for the Chess Olympiad in Dresden 2008," he continued. Exactly this was the Olympic dream of Anna Rudolf that she shared in an interview a few months ago.

The final of the championship for Anna came after matches against strong opponents - WFM Kornelia Albert, WGM Ticia Gara, and WIM Lili Toth. The first game against WIM Veronika Schneider was a victory with black for Anna Rudolf. However, WIM Schneider did not give up and caught up with Anna and equalized in the second game. A third game draw was forecasting a photo finish at the competition, however, Anna managed to pull out magic and win the 4th game and the match.

The bronze medal was for Maria Ignácz who defeated the strongly performing Lili Toth 3,0-4,0 in the match for 3rd place.

Report by Chessdom

Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008, teams

participants and teams of the Chess Olympiad (Zambia added)

Here is a complete list of the known teams for the Chess Olympiad in Dresden 2008. This list will be updated on a daily basis, if you happen to know another team composition, please, send it to our contact form

Update:

Special thanks to Pall Sigurdsson, member of the Icelandic board, for contributing the names of the Iceland team Dresden Olympiad members. Portugal has been added as well.

Update:

Special thanks to Pieter van der Nat for providing detailed teams of South Africa.

Update:

Chanda Nsakanya, Tournaments Director for the Chess Federation of Zambia and a FIDE arbiter as well, has informed about the Chess team of Zambia for the Dresden 2008 Chess Olympiad.

Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008, Men teams

Armenia: GM Levon Aronian, GM Vladimir Akopian, GM Gabriel Sargissian, M Minasian, GM Petrosian

Australia: GM Zong-Yuan Zhao, IM David Smerdon, IM Stephen Solomon, GM Darryl Johansen, IM George Xie

Cuba: GM Leinier Dominguez, GM Yuniesky Quesada, GM Lazaro Bruzon, GM Holden Hernandez, GM Jesus Nogueiras

Georgia: GM Baadur Jobava, GM Zviad Izoria, GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili, GM Tamaz Gelashvili, GM Levan Pantsulaia

Germany: GM Arkadij Naiditsch, GM Daniel Fridman, GM Jan Gustafsson, GM Igor Khenkin, GM David Baramidze

Iceland: GM Stefansson Hannes, GM Steingrimsson Hedinn, GM Danielsen Henrik, IM Stefansson Kristjan, GM Thorhallsson Throstur

Norway: GM Magnus Carlsen, GM Simen Agdestein, GM Kjetil A. Lie, GM Leif E. Johannessen, IM Jon Ludvig Hammer

Philippines: IM Gomez, GM Wesley So, GM Bong Villamayor, GM Darwin Laylo, GM Jayson Gonzales

Portugal: GM Luis Galego 2506, IM Rui Damaso 2441, FM Paulo Dias 2440, IM Sergio Rocha 2421, FM Ruben Pereira 2418

Russia: GM Vladimir Kramnik, GM Alexander Morozevich, GM Peter Svidler, GM Alexander Grischuk and GM Dmitry Yakovenko

Serbia: GM Ivan Ivanisevic, GM Milos Perunovic, GM Dragan Solak, GM Aleksandar Kovacevic, GM Bojan Vuckovic

South Africa: IM Kenny Solomon, IM Watu Kobese, IM Johannes Mabusela, CM Daniel Cawdery and CM Henry Steele

Sweden: GM Emanuel Berg, GM Evgenij Agrest, GM Jonny Hector, GM Pontus Carlsson, GM Tiger Hillarp Persson

USA: GM Varuzhan Akobian, GM Gata Kamsky, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Alexander Onischuk, GM Yury Shulman

Zambia: IM Amon Simutowe, Andrew Kayonde, Daniel Jere, Kelvin Chumfwa, Chitumbo Mwali

Visit here for more.

4th Prospero Pichay , Jr. Cup and 3rd PGMA Cup

Manila, Philippines

The NCFP (National Chess Federation of the Philippines) together with event manager Intchess Asia is pleased to announce back to back GM Opens to be held at at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Paranaque City, Manila, Philippines from 6-20 September 2008.

Both Opens are 9 round swiss tournaments and will kick off with the 4th PGMA Cup boasting a total prize fund of USD 40,000 from 6-13 September and this will be followed immediately after with the USD 30,000 3rd Prospero Pichay Cup to be held at the same venue from 13-20 September.

To date a total of 22 Grandmasters have confirmed their participation and as many as 14 National Chess Federations will be represented, including China, India, Georgia, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Australia. Entries include GM Mchedisvili, GM Shanava, GM Kazhgaleyev, GM Megaranto, GM Dzhumaev, GM Bakre, IM Wohl, GM Li Shilong, GM Zaw, IM Wynn, WIM Kharisma, etc.

14 year old GM Wesley So, on track to a 2650 rating, and still the World's youngest grandmaster will be leading the Philippine challenge.

Enquires may also be directed to the Organising Secretary Peter Long at peter@aseanchess.com

The prize fund is as follows:

Champion Php 40,000
2nd Place 20,000
3rd Place 15,000
4th Place 10,000
5th Place 8,000
6th Place 7,000
7th Place 6,000
8th Place 5,000
9th Place 5,000
10th Place 4,000

4th Prospero Pichay , Jr. Cup Chess Challange will take place in Manila, Philippines, September 14 – 19, 2008. The 3rd PGMA Cup will be a week earlier - September 7 - 12, 2008 in the same city.

Rules and regulations of the 3rd PGMA Cup

Rules and regulations of the 4th Prospero Pichay , Jr. Cup

Hungarian chess championship women finals

Participants at the Hungarian Women Chess Championship

Anna Rudolf and Veronika Schneider at the final

By Laszlo Rudolf for Chessdom.com

The Hungarian Women Chess Championship is taking place in the Thermal Hotel Visegrád, August 22-29. It resembles the system of the Women World Chess Championship that is starting tomorrow in Nalchik - 16 players engage in a KO system.

The winner will be member of the Hungarian Olympic team for Dresden 2008 (other teams are available at Chess Olympiad Dresden 2008 teams page)

Participants list

1 Vajda Szidónia IM 2397 Atomerőmű SE Paks
2 Mádl Ildikó IM 2387 Csuti-Hydrocomp SK Zalaegerszeg
3 Gara Anita WGM 2340 MTK-Erzsébetváros Budapest
4 Gara Tícia WGM 2319 Aquaprofit Nagykanizsa
5 Rudolf Anna WGM 2337 Decs
6 Schneider Veronika WIM 2316 BEAC
7 Horváth Júlia WIM 2240 Vasas SC
8 Tóth Lili WIM 2208 Atomerőmű SE Paks
9 Forgó Éva WIM 2200 Csuti-Hydrocomp SK Zalaegerszeg
10 Ignácz Mária WIM 2178 Aquaprofit Nagykanizsa
11 Domány Zsófia WFM 2177 Makói SVSE
12 Albert Kornélia WFM 2159 Mátyásföldi Lawn Tennis Club-Bp.
13 Tóth Sarolta WFM 2151 Orosházi SE
14 Remete Eszter 2132 Haladás VSE
15 Kiss Emese 2145 Pénzügyőr SE
16 Hidegh Eszter 2115 Mátra SE Gyöngyös

The championship has reached the culmination, where WGM Anna Rudolf and WIM Veronika Schneider will face each other in the final. Anna Rudolf defeated WFM Kornelia Albert, WGM Ticia Gara, and WIM Lili Toth on the way to the final, while Veronika Scheider won against WFM Domány Zsófia, WGM Anita Gara, and WIM Mária Ignácz.

You can follow the live games on the official website.

Top clashes in round 2 at the 1st Dragon Chess Open

1st Dragon Capital Vietnam chess open started with very few surprises and most of the top seeded players won their games. Round 2, however, will have some of the top players clash on the first boards. GM Azmaiparashvili will have to face the Philippine chess tallent IM Sadorra. GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Vietnam's hope in the event will face IM Bitoon, while GM So Wesley will play against CM Nguyen Van Huy. Other interesting encounters are GM Dzhumaev - IM Tu Hoang Thai, GM Le Quang Liem - IM Goh Weiming, FM Pham - GM Shanava.

Find detailed information on the official website

16th International Open Chess Tournament Honor to National Resistance

369 players at the 16th International Open Chess Tournament Honor to National Resistance

fighting chess in the first rounds

16th International Open Chess Tournament Honor to National Resistance started on Monday in Nikea, Greece. A total of 369 players participate in the competition. Most of them are from Greece and GM Ioanis Nikolaidis is top seeded. He is accompanied by IM Grigoriadis, IM Karagiannis, IM Skalkotas, etc. 8 other countries have their representation there, as the most numerous is Bulgaria, with players such as the national bronze medalist IM Rusev, the Chessdom.com photographer WFM Iva Videnova, and the WJCC participants Ivailo Enchev and WFM Adriana Nikolova. The chief arbiter of the event is FM Sotiris Logothetis.

Finland is here with GM Westerinen, Italy with FM Ronchetti, Georgia with IM Managadze, Kazahstan with FM Sergeev, etc.

In the first round there was lots of fighting chess, with draws being less than 30% of the results. There were a few upsets, but still the top seeded GM Nikolaidis, IM Rusev, IM Dochev, IM Skalkotas, WFM Videnova, IM Karagiannis, and 40 more strong players have full points.

More information about the event and the games at the official website

FM Sotiris Logothetis


IM Krasimir Rusev


WFM Iva Videnova

Report by Chessdom

GM Vescovi and IM Perdomo lead Torneio Internacional da Amizade

Torneio Internacional da Amizade is taking place August 23 - 31, 2008, in Brazil. It is a 9 round Swiss system organized by Clube de Xadrez São Paulo. GM Vescovi and IM Perdomo lead Torneio Internacional da Amizade with full 4,0 points after round 4. They are closely followed by FM Fusco, WFM Terao, Bueno Alfeu, and FM Tsuboi with 3,5/4. 10 more players have 3,0/4.

A total of 87 players participate in the competition. GM Vescovi is the only grandmaster, other 17 are titled players. Most of the participants are local Brazilian players, but there are also 2 Dutch - Van Riemsdijk and De Winter, 1 Belgium - Willem Hajenius, 1 from USA - Ellery Bann, and 1 Cuban - IM Lebredo.

Standings after round 4

1 IM Perdomo Leandro ARG 2376 4,0
2 GM Vescovi Giovanni BRA 2631 4,0
3 FM Fusco Leonardo ARG 2392 3,5
4 Bueno Alfeu Junior Varela BRA 2267 3,5
5 WFM Terao Juliana Sayumi BRA 2094 3,5
6 FM Tsuboi Edson Kenji BRA 2356 3,5
7 FM Teixeira Ricardo Da Silva BRA 2377 3,0
8 Leal Paulotarcisio Garcia BRA 2211 3,0
9 FM Rodi Luis Ernesto ARG 2376 3,0
10 Moyses Fo Joao BRA 2121 3,0
11 Pereira Silvio Cunha BRA 2284 3,0
12 Calcado Acyr Rogerio BRA 2213 3,0
13 IM Lebredo Zaragoitia Gerardo CUB 2245 3,0
14 WFM Delai Paula Fernanda BRA 2081 3,0
15 Celkevicius Roberto BRA 2063 3,0
16 Oliveira Silvio Eduardo BRA 2323 3,0
17 Nunes Allan Hurba BRA 1920 3,0
18 FM Aranha Filho Alvaro Z BRA 2291 3,0
19 Limberg Estacio Vermelho BRA 2282 3,0
20 FM Santos Marcus Vinicius Moreira BRA 2403 2,5
21 IM De Souza Mauro Guimaraes BRA 2317 2,5
22 Cordeiro Felipe Sarmento BRA 0 2,5
23 IM Segal Alexandru Sorin BRA 2231 2,5
24 Utiyama Marcel Heimar Ribeiro BRA 2139 2,5
25 Schutt Ricardo De Amorim BRA 2153 2,5
26 FM Gonzalez Bolivar Ribeiro BRA 2265 2,5
27 FM Olivencia Flavio BRA 2226 2,5
28 FM Prates Fabiano Fortes BRA 2293 2,5
29 Crespo Antonio Rogerio BRA 2170 2,5
30 Reis Alan De Albuquerque Maran BRA 2012 2,5
31 Batista Renato Luiz BRA 2156 2,5
32 Rosa Jose Antonio BRA 2094 2,5
33 Jukemura Leandro BRA 2113 2,0
34 Abdalla Luiz Guilherme Aurelli BRA 2080 2,0
35 Feliciano Vanessa BRA 2066 2,0
36 IM Trois Francisco R T BRA 2359 2,0
37 Grellmann Fabricio Stadler BRA 0 2,0
38 Salama Andre Sasson BRA 1957 2,0
39 Mariano Marceley Martins BRA 2002 2,0
40 Barbosa Fernando BRA 2036 2,0
41 Madeira Wagner Martins BRA 2265 2,0
42 De Haro Martim Afonso Palma BRA 2117 2,0
43 Piekarski Atila Balzer BRA 1969 2,0
44 Hajenius Willem BEL 2055 2,0
45 Zachi Felipe Parelho BRA 0 2,0
46 Van Riemsdijk Dirk D BRA 2222 2,0
47 Cajal Andre BRA 2081 2,0
48 Rodrigues Bruno Morado BRA 1965 2,0
49 Bastos E Santos Edson BRA 0 2,0
50 Gazola Vanessa Ramos BRA 2011 2,0

Total: 87 players

Report by Chessdom.

Chess tournament a chance for young and old to match wits

Published Saturday August 30th, 2008
By CHRIS FOX

A 60-year-old professor at St. Thomas University who plans to compete in a chess tournament in Fredericton this weekend says the game knows no age.

"Chess goes the entire range. When I go to tournaments, you can pretty much guarantee that there will be at least one 10-year-old, but at 60, I am nowhere near the oldest either," Roland Chrisjohn said.

"Chess really keeps your mind active, and there is all kinds of evidence that if you play chess you won't come down with Alzheimer's, so really it's the worlds greatest hobby for everybody because it's both cheap and it keeps you sharp."

Chrisjohn, who has been playing chess for 50 years, is one of an expected 15-20 competitors for the Philippe Brunet Memorial chess tournament this weekend.

The event, which will be staged at the Fredericton Inn from Saturday through Monday, is in its eight year. Each competitor will play six games against opponents of a similar skill level.

Tournament director Charles Graves said Friday the tournament's atmosphere can't be beaten.

"You can't really understand until you have competed the intensity of this tournament," he said.

"There is just something about playing competitive chess that is quite intense. And there is just so much adrenaline because if you slip once, you know you are going to waste four hours of your time, so everyone here generally does there best to stay on the top of their game."

Read the full story here.

Akobian will face Shulman

GM Akobian

Matchups for round 6:

Yury Shulman - Varuzhan Akobian
Igor Nataf - Hikaru Nakamura
Anton Kovalyov - Pascal Charbonneau
Mark Bluvshtein - Igor Zugic
Sébastien Mazé - Thomas Roussel-Roozmon

Standings after 5 rounds:

1 Shulman, Y (g) USA 2623 4.0 / 5
2 Akobian, V (g) USA 2610 3.5 / 5
3 Charbonneau, P (g) CAN 2499 3.5 / 5
4 Nakamura, H (g) USA 2697 3.0 / 5
5 Bluvshtein, M (g) CAN 2548 3.0 / 5
6 Zugic, I (m) CAN 2457 2.0 / 5
7 Nataf, I (g) FRA 2534 2.0 / 5
8 Maze, S (g) FRA 2553 1.5 / 5
9 Kovalyov, A (m) ARG 2548 1.5 / 5
10 Roussel-Roozmon, T (m) C 2486 1.0 / 5

Interview with GM Bacrot

Détendu et heureux à l'issue de la remise des Prix, Etienne Bacrot nous a accordé hier, une interview inédite.

Un titre historique !

Avec cette 6ème consécration de champion de France d'échecs, Etienne égale désormais le nombre de victoires de Maurice Raizman (années 30) et de César Boutteville (années 50-60).

Mais à seulement 25 ans et donc avec tout l'avenir devant lui, Etienne est pour nous, le Björn Borg des échecs français. Il gagne le championnat de France comme le suédois dominait le tennis sur sa surface de prédilection.

Si l'on s'en tient au classement Elo instantané, ce super GMI ch'ti -il est né à Lille - est classé 30ème Mondial avec 2705,7 points et, franchement, ça fait peur !

Bonjour, Etienne nous allons commencer par des questions personnelles pour mieux te connaître.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE

Quel est ton principal trait de caractère ? Fighter. Les défaites dorénavant me surmotivent.

Et ton principal défaut ? Je fais trop de gaffes.

Quand tu ne joues pas aux échecs, quelle est ton occupation préférée ? Ma famille.

Read the full interview here.

It's Hub-NYC chess match with trash talk, fans, logos

By Ryan Kost
Globe Correspondent / August 29, 2008

You could be forgiven if you haven't heard much about what one man called "by far the biggest rivalry going on in the chess world right now." But in the burgeoning United States Chess League, a special community where speech is reduced to board coordinates, a two-year spat between the Boston Blitz and the New York Knights is garnering a lot of attention.

As the Red Sox and the Yankees faced off one evening this week in their age-old war, these two chess teams met via the Internet for their season opener, the Blitz based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge as the Knights tuned in from New York.

In the insular world of chess, the USCL is a growing movement, an organization that is shifting chess's focus from the individual to the team, from a board game to a sport.

The teams are your typical franchises: bright logos, flashy names (Miami Sharks, Arizona Scorpions, Seattle Sluggers), and private sponsors.

Then, of course, there are the big personalities.

Take Alexander Shabalov, a chess grandmaster who plays for the Knights. In a pregame interview, he psyched out his opponents, as would any good celebrity athlete.

"I expect total Knights domination on boards 1-4," Shabalov told a blogger who follows league news. "We have so much depth. Our bench is uncomparable [sic] to the other teams in the league."

Of course, he said, the interview was in jest. "The whole idea was to do the totally nonsensical interview with some trash talking."

But the point is clear. This isn't Bobby Fischer's chess. Nor is it, necessarily, the chess world's answer to the failed Xtreme Football League. Teams nationwide have recruited - and, thanks to sponsors, can afford to pay - several grandmasters.

Though Shabalov lives in Pittsburgh, he plays for New York, rather than the Philadelphia Inventors.

The team's offer, he said, was sweeter. "I'm a chess professional, so basically I'm going with whoever gives me better conditions."

Source: Boston Globe

Parents favour chess as pastime for children

By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter
Published: August 29, 2008, 23:53

Abu Dhabi: Chess, the sport of kings and the sport of brains, is one of the most popular pastimes in the world and the UAE in particular.

Historically, the UAE won its first ever international achievement in chess when Saeed Ahmad Saeed won the World Youth Championship in 1981. The country also hosted their biggest ever international event when Dubai organised the Chess Olympics during the mid-1980's.

Chess is deeply rooted in the culture and heritage of the Arab world, as the Caliph during the early decades of Islam used to play chess matches against his counterpart of the Roman Empire and moves were relayed by horsemen. The Arabian peninsula practiced chess soon after its discovery in India.

"Chess builds the brains not the brawns," said Hussain Abdullah Khory, a former UAE national chess team player and Vice Chairman of the UAE Chess Federation and the Financial Director and the Chairman of Professionalism at the Abu Dhabi Chess and Cultural Club (ADCCC).

"That is one of the main reasons why parents are keen to encourage their children to practice chess more than other sports, which some regard as a waste of time. They also believe their children should benefit from the time they spend in other sports, which takes them away from studying."

Source: http://www.gulfnews.com

Bu leads again in Antwerp

Round 7 results:

Schebler, Gerhard - Bu Xiangzhi 0-1
Miroshnichenko, Evgenij - Gyimesi, Zoltan ½-½
Vaganian, Rafael - Werle, Jan 1-0
Michiels, Bart - Timman, Jan ½-½
Lahno, Kateryna - Van der Stricht, Geert 1-0

Standings after 7 rounds:

1. Bu Xiangzhi g CHN 2710 6
2. Miroshnichenko, Evgenij g UKR 2593 5½
3. Gyimesi, Zoltan g HUN 2586 4½
4. Timman, Jan H g NED 2562 4½
5. Vaganian, Rafael A g ARM 2594 3½
6. Schebler, Gerhard g GER 2453 3½
7. Werle, Jan g NED 2591 3
8. Lahno, Kateryna g UKR 2507 2
9. Michiels, Bart m BEL 2442 2
10. Van der Stricht, Geert m BEL 2426 ½

Official website: http://www.inventichess.com

GM Ljubojevic lead the experience team in victory

The Experience team finally won a match. GM Ljubojevic scored the only win while all others drew. After 9 matches, the Experience team scored 1 team win and 1 team draw while losing 7.

Round 9 results:

Korchnoi, Viktor - Wang Yue ½-½
Bareev, Evgeny - Cheparinov, Ivan ½-½
Agdestein, Simen - Stellwagen, Daniël ½-½
Ljubojevic, Ljubomir - Caruana, Fabiano 1-0
Jussupow, Artur - L'Ami, Erwin ½-½

Score after Round 9

Experience 15
Rising stars 30

Experience individual score

Agdestein 4
Bareev 3½
Ljubojevic 3
Kortchnoi 2½
Jussupow 2

Rising Stars individual score

Wang Yue 8
Cheparinov 7
Caruana 5½
l’Ami 5
Stellwagen 4½

Official website: http://www.nhchess.com

Kramnik leads Tal Blitz

Kramnik is the clear leader at the half way mark at the Tal Memorial Blitz tournament. Carlsen and Ivanchuk are only 1/2 point out of first.

1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2788 11.0

2. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2775 10.5
3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2781 10.5

4. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2720 10.0

5. Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2728 9.5
6. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2738 9.5

7. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2742 9.0

8. Kamsky, Gata g USA 2723 8.5
9. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2788 8.5

10. Lékó, Peter g HUN 2741 8.0
11. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2727 8.0
12. Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2651 8.0
13. Movsesian, Sergei g SVK 2723 8.0

14. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2718 7.5
15. Grachev, Boris g RUS 2640 7.5

16. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2708 7.0
17. Eljanov, Pavel g UKR 2716 7.0

18. Tkachiev, Vladislav g FRA 2664 5.0

Official website: http://www.russiachess.org/

Upsets in Nalchik

There are already some upsets in the first game of round 1. Here are some of the surprises so far:

Kadimova, Ilaha - Paehtz, Elisabeth 1-0
Zhukova, Natalia - Rohonyan, Katerina 0-1

Mkrtchian, Lilit - Moser, Eva ½-½
Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino - Shen Yang ½-½
Zhang Jilin - Gaponenko, Inna ½-½
Foisor, Sabina-Francesca - Socko, Monika ½-½
Tan Zhongyi - Sachdev, Tania ½-½
Bojkovic, Natasa - Ju Wenjun ½-½

Video from the opening ceremony:

http://reports.chessdom.com/wwcc-2008/world-women-championship-live-day-1

Korchnoi draws with Wang Yue

GM Kortchnoi (2602) - GM Wang Yue (2704) [D15]
29.08.2008, NH Tournament
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.Ne5 b5 6.g3 Bb7 7.Bg2 a6 8.0–0 e6 9.a4 Nd5 10.e4 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Nd7 12.Bf4 Be7 13.Qg4 g6 14.Nxd7 Qxd7 15.Bh6 f6 16.axb5 cxb5 17.Rfe1 e5 18.Qxd7+ Kxd7 19.dxe5 fxe5 20.Bg7 Rhe8 21.Bxe5 Bc5 22.Bh3+ Kc6 23.Bf6 Kb6 24.e5 Rf8 25.Red1 Rae8 26.Rd2 Be7 27.Bxe7 Rxe7 28.f4 Kc5 29.Bg2 Bxg2 30.Kxg2 Re6 31.Kf3 Rxe5 32.Rxa6 Rd5 33.Rxd5+ Kxd5 34.Ra7 h5 35.Ra6 g5 36.h3 Rf5 37.Ra5 Ke6 38.Ke4 Rc5 39.f5+ Kf6 40.g4 hxg4 41.hxg4 Re5+ 42.Kd4 Re1 +/- The best idea is Ra6 check then Rg6 43.Ra6+ Kf7 44.Rg6 Rd1+ 45.Kc5 Rc1 46.Kxb5 Rxc3 47.Rxg5 Kf6 48.Rg6+ Ke5 49.Rg8 Rc1 50.Kc5 c3 51.Re8+? (51.Kc4 would have been better) Kf6 1/2

Tkachiev beats Carlsen in Blitz!

Tkachiev - Carlsen [B22]
Tal Memorial Blitz, 29.08.2008
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.0–0 Be6 9.Bxe6 Qxe6 10.a4 Qd7 11.a5 Nd5 12.d4 e6 13.a6 b5 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Qc6 16.Re1 Rd8 17.Qg4 h5 18.Qh3 Be7 19.Qf3 h4 20.h3 c4 21.Nd2 g6 22.Qg4 Rh5 23.Nf3 Kf8 24.Bg5 Bxg5 25.Nxg5 Ne7 26.Ne4 Rxe5 27.Qxh4 Rh5 28.Qg3 Kg7 29.Qe3 Rd7 30.Rad1 Rxd1 31.Rxd1 Re5 32.f3 Qxa6 33.Rd7 Nd5 34.Qd4 Qb6 35.Nc5 Kg8 36.Qxe5 Qxc5+ 37.Kh2 a5 38.Rb7 White wins 1–0

Replay the game here.

World Women Chess Championship LIVE!

World Women Chess Championship LIVE!
LIVE updates from Nalchik
by Chessdom.com

Welcome to the live coverage of Women World Chess Championship 2008 on Chessdom.com! Every day we will have constant live updates from the capital of Kabardino Balkaria. These updates will be interactive as the audience will have the opportunity to participate, comment, and ask questions through our live chat system.

09:30 CET
We start with the most recent from Nalchik. The President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has sent a letter to the organizers and the participants in the World Women Chess Championship.

"These days Kabardino Balkaria will host some of the greatest chess talents, which will engage in an honorable fight to demonstrate their skill and mental strength," says President Medvedev. "I am convinced that this championship will become a true celebration for the lovers of this interesting sport. I wish all the participants success and to the thousands of fans - enjoy this beautiful intellectual game." he continued.

09:40 CET
FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has officially opened the Women`s World Chess Championship 2008 in Nalchik, Kabardino Balkaria. During the pompous ceremony yesterday, local dancers and singers entertained the public and the chess game was also personified through youngsters in costumes. In his welcome speech, President of the Republic, Arsen Kanokov expressed the gratitude and hapiness of the republic to have the World Championship in its capital and promised good organization, great interest from the inhabitants, excellent conditions and clean, healthy environment for the tournament.

Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Chess Federation delivered the greeting address of Dmitriy Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation praising the beautiful, intellectual game and the Russian chess school. He also expressed the belief that the peaceful competition of chess players turns into a real festival of that sport, promoting development and strengthening of international relations among the nations of the chess world.

09:50 CET
Round 1 of the WWCC starts today at 15:00 local time (two hours earlier CET). A few hours before that, photos will be available at the Chessdom photo gallery

10:00 CET
The solid organization of the WWCC 2008 deserves true respect. It is headed by the FIDE President - Kirsan Nikolaevitch Ilyumzhinov, supported by Georgios Makropoulos - FIDE Deputy President and Chairman of the Appeals Committee. The chief arbiter is Zsuzsanna Veroci, and on her team are Mikko Markkula, Evgeni Melikset-Begi, Galina Strutinskaia, and Vyacheslav Khamruev. The appeals committee is Nona Gaprindashvili, Boris Kutin, and Lakhdar Mazouz. The medical commission is headed by Jana Bellin and the press officer is Peter Rajscanyi.

10:15 CET
A day before the start of the competition Elizabeth Paehtz visited a the medical center for children "Duga" (Rainbow) in Nalchik, informed the Chessdom.com correspondent from Kabardino Balkaria. There she played a simul with 12 kids.

10:30 CET
If you ever wondered where is Kabardino Balkaria and how does it look like, there is a nice video presentation at the official website. The nature there is beautiful and you can see the highest peak in Europe, Mt. Elbrus

11:15 CET
Many young talents will have a chance to show their skill in the first round of the competition. In the battle of the youngest Yifan Hou (who got her last GM norm just a few weeks ago) will play Mona Khaled from Egypt. They are both 14 and eager for victory. The rating difference of over 500 ELO points gives clear advantage to Yifan Hou, but Khaled will surely play her best as well.

The World Junior Champion for 2007 WGM Vera Nebolsina will start against the current World Junior Champion IM Harika Dronavalli.

WGM Anna Muzhycuk will play with WGM Maria Velcheva, while IM Anna Ushenina will play with Le Thanh Tu.

11:30 CET
The top seeded Xu Yuhua starts against Anzel Solomons, Humpy Koneru against Yorsa Alaa El Din, while the ex world champion Antoaneta Stefanova will play against Karen Zapata. All 32 boards will be broadcast on the official website and a live chat discussion will be available on Chessdom.com in this thread during the games.

11:48 CET
The first photos from the opening ceremony are available at the Chessdom photo gallery

12:00 CET
The live discussion has been activated. Scroll down this page to find it. We will continue posting minute by minute updates, be sure to refresh the page to get them.

12:30 CET
One of the surprises has been uncovered by Madina Dyshekova, the Deputy Prime Minister of KBR and President of KBR Chess Federation. The coronet for the chess queen from the WWCC will be decorated with 46 diamonds and 3 large sapphires. The weight of the coronet will be about 80 gr. and will be a combination of the white and yellow gold. It will be produced by the master-jeweler of the open joint-stock company “Terek-Almaz” Saphar Tarchokov.

13:00 CET
And the games are on! The first move on board 1 was 1.e4 by Xu Yuhua.

13:15 CET
Besides on the boards of the Georgian players, there are no moves from Karen Zapata, Irina Krush, Marie Sebag, Le Thanh Tu....

13:19 CET
Currently there is a press conference with President of Kabardino-Balkaria and FIDE President. The editor-in-chief of Chessdom.com is there and will report for you live.

President of Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Arsen Kanokov is hoping that the WWCC will encourage strong chess development in the Republic. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov thanked Arsen Kanokov and organizing committee for the "fantastic achievements in preparation".

13:25 CET
There is an extreme interest from the media in the country, the press conference hall is full. Expect the photos from there soon.

13:30 CET
First results are already a fact, Antoaneta Stefanova, Anna Gasik, and Elena Sedina win as Karen Zapata, Marie Sebag, Irina Krush did not show up.

Official website: http://nalchik2008.fide.com/

Nalchik first round pairing

Round 1 Pairings: (Red = withdrew)

1 1-64 Xu, Yuhua CHN - Solomons, Anzel RSA
2 2-63 Koneru, Humpy IND - Alaa El Din, Yorsa EGY
3 3-62 Hou, Yifan CHN - Khaled, Mona EGY
4 4-61 Stefanova, Antoaneta BUL - Zapata, Karen PER
5 5-60 Cramling, Pia SWE - Sanchez Castillo, Sarai VEN
6 6-59 Sebag, Marie FRA - Gasik, Anna POL
7 7-58 Zhao, Xue CHN - Zuriel, Marisa ARG
8 8-57 Kosintseva, Tatjana RUS - Muminova, Nafisa UZB
9 9-56 Kosteniuk, Alexandra RUS - Pourkashiyan, Atousa IRI
10 10-55 Cmilyte, Viktorija LTU - Golubenko, Valentina CRO
11 11-54 Muzychuk, Anna SLO - Velcheva, Maria BUL
12 12-53 Ruan, Lufei CHN - Zakurdjaeva, Irina RUS
13 13-52 Zhukova, Natalia UKR - Rohonyan, Katherine USA
14 14-51 Chiburdanidze, Maya GEO - Nguyen, Thi Thanh An VIE
15 15-50 Hoang Thanh Trang HUN - Arribas Robaina, Maritza CUB
16 16-49 Paehtz, Elisabeth GER - Kadimova, Ilaha AZE
17 17-48 Ushenina, Anna UKR - Le Thanh Tu VIE
18 18-47 Socko, Monika POL - Foisor, Sabina-Francesca ROM
19 19-46 Krush, Irina USA - Sedina, Elena ITA
20 20-45 Gaponenko, Inna UKR - Zhang Jilin CHN
21 21-44 Javakhishvili, Lela GEO - Amura, Claudia ARG
22 22-43 Harika, Dronavalli IND - Nebolsina, Vera RUS
23 23-42 Kosintseva, Nadezhda RUS - Mohota, Nisha IND
24 24-41 Korbut, Ekaterina RUS - Gvetadze, Sopio GEO
25 25-40 Zatonskih, Anna USA - Bosboom Lanchava, Tea NED
26 26-39 Shen, Yang CHN - Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino GER
27 27-38 Mkrtchian, Lilit - ARM Moser, Eva AUT
28 28-37 Tania, Sachdev - IND Tan Zongyi CHN
29 29-36 Bojkovic, Natasa SRB - Ju, Wenjun CHN
30 30-35 Rajlich, Iweta POL - Mongontuul, Bathuyang MGL
31 31-34 Lomineishvili, Maia GEO - Khukhashvili, Sopiko GEO
32 32-33 Khurtsidze, Nino GEO - Matveeva, Svetlana RUS

Official website: http://nalchik2008.fide.co

Space Chess

American astronaut, Gregory Chamitoff, is playing against all the world ground Control Centers in a single chess game as he passes over Florida in the International Space Station

Space Chess
an interview with America’s chess-playing astronaut

by Harvey Lerman
Editor of floridaCHESS
floridaCHESS is available to members of the FloridaCHESS Association (www.floridachess.org)

This “interview” was conducted by your Editor, Harvey Lerman, sending one e-mail message containing all the questions to a Flight Director of the International Space Station (ISS). After approval, the e-mail was sent on to Gregory Chamitoff, who is currently America’s astronaut on board the ISS. The questions were then answered by him in one email which was forwarded to us for publication in floridaCHESS.

According to the Flight Director, Robert Dempsey, “We are currently playing the first ever game of space chess. Each day Greg makes a move and then one of the control centers around the world makes the ground's move. We have a video camera setup showing his chess set on the ISS and we have one set up in Mission Control..”

1. How are you playing the game... on an electronic screen? or with a magnetic set? I'd hate to see the pieces start floating around the station. Who had the idea of playing chess in space ... how did it come about and how did the chess set make the trip? Is it yours or did someone have one made for the trip?

I'm playing on a board that I brought up with me. I've been thinking about this ever since Expedition 6. I was a crew support astronaut for that crew and worked as Capcom. One of the crew and I shared an interest in chess. I suggested that we play 'over the loops', but it never worked out. Ever since then I thought it would be a fun thing to do when (and if) I got to fly on the Station.

I was looking for the perfect chess set for Space. It needed to be large enough to be easily visible on a video camera view that the ground would normally be using. The pieces would have to stick to the board very reliably, and it had to be ultra lightweight because our personal allocation of 'stuff' that we can bring is extremely limited. I eventually found the perfect chess set. It had magnetic pieces and a felt board with a flexible metallic inner sheet. On the ground, you could literally set up the board and then pick it up by a corner and carry it off without anything falling off.


Current ISS crew, Gregory Chamitoff on the right. Russians Oleg Kononenko (left) and Sergei Volkov (son of a cosmonaut - making him the first child of an astronaut/cosmonaut to follow in footsteps) complete the crew. The photo was taken in the new Japanese module "Kibo". The American, Japanese and Russian flags are shown behind them.

Unfortunately, though, I eventually found out that our NASA safety experts don't want us to bring anything magnetic onboard, because of the potential that it could interfere with the operation of onboard systems. So I ended up doing things the NASA way, which, of course, means velcro! I'm using the same board from that original set, and I bought an additional set with cheap hollow plastic pieces that were just the right size. On the positive side, this chess set was even lighter than the original. Once onboard, I spent one late weekend night cutting velcro circles to fit on the pieces. Fortunately, the felt on the board works great as the other side for the velcro. I haven't totally lost a piece yet, but one of the rooks did escape for about 24 hours. I found it at one of the air-flow return filters in the US Laboratory.

2. Do you normally play much chess when on Earth? Where do you live and do you participate in any local chess club when on Earth?

I played chess all the time when I was younger. My father taught me how to play when I was very young, and he always joked that he couldn't beat me after I turned 4. How old I actually was when I learned, and how many years he let me win, I'll never know, but he encouraged me a great deal and played with me endlessly when I was a kid. I played chess in school, started a few chess clubs, and won several small tournaments when I was a kid. Once or twice I played in official tournaments, but never took it that seriously. In recent times (like the last decade), it seems that I rarely get a chance to play chess with anyone, although I have a few times. I've enjoyed teaching some of the younger members of my family, and children of friends, how to play, and encouraged them in the same way my father did for me.

I do play chess occasionally against my computer or even my phone. I have a chess program on my phone that usually wins - it's humiliating to think that you can't beat your own phone at chess.

3. Are others in the crew helping you or do you play alone? What do they think about it?

Well, we are officially playing as "Crew vs. Ground", so that's the plan. They are kibitzing here and there, and keeping a close eye on the game.

4. I hear your opponents may be using the help of a Grand Master. [The rumor was not true… see game. - Ed.] Are you hoping to have a Cosmonaut get a Russian GM to help you?

The fun of this is that we're playing 'Crew vs. Ground', although we've really handicapped the ground quite significantly by making the different control centers take turns with their moves. They are not supposed to interact between control centers to discuss their strategy, and so this makes it an additional challenge for the ground. Hopefully this evens the odds a bit!


MSS Houston, with Flight Director Robert Dempsey (center) and the STS-124 flight control team in June of 2008

5. Do you take a while to plan your move, or do you just come up with it while "on the john"? Do you have any chess books or other material to help you decide on the move? Do your other duties get in the way of playing the game?

I'm taking a day or more between moves, so I have plenty of time to stare at the board. I'm usually too busy during the day to think much about it, so I tend to think about my move in the evening. The only problem with taking so long between moves is that there is now some pressure to make sure it's not a stupid move. In fact, this game has kept me up quite late on several occasions, but I'm enjoying it very much. We do have software games on-orbit, including chess, and I've spent some time playing games against the computer as well.

6. Can we get a photo of you... playing chess... especially while making the winning move?

I'll be happy to do that - it's a good idea for my own scrapbook too. [See cover - Ed.]

7. Do you have some sort of wager on the game? What prize do you get for winning? I know the chess world would be thrilled to read about your story.

There are no wagers of any kind, this is just for fun. I guess we'll have to see how this evolves for game number 2 and beyond. It would be fun to play simultaneous games from here. The Control Center in Moscow said that they would rather make all of their own moves (naturally)! I don't know if I could get any sleep if I tried to play 6 simultaneous games, but why not - it could be fun to do that. Someone in Houston (I would like to know who) came up with an Excel spreadsheet to track the game. [See page 6 - Ed] It's great - it has all the moves listed, but also has a graphical representation of the board. If we start playing multiple games, we could use this to keep track of them all.

8. I just saw the position after your 16th move and think you're "putting it" to them with that one! How do you think the game has proceeded so far?

I think I got very lucky with one small move early on - that was P-QR4. It's made it possible for me to eventually corner black's queen. I've traded a lot of material for that queen, though, and it's not clear how much of an advantage it will turn out to be. But at the moment I'm optimistic.

9. I just read in the paper that they "retreat you into the Soyuz for the entire space walks in case of an emergency". Is that so you can concentrate on the chess game in case the ground makes a surprising move?

I did spend a lot of time crammed into the Soyuz descent capsule during the two recent Russian spacewalks. Each time it was about 11 hours, and I now know for sure that I'm not completely claustrophobic. The reason for this was to make sure that the three of us stayed on the same side of a module at vacuum in the event that there was a problem repressurizing after the EVA [Extra Vehicular Activity; i.e., spacewalk—Ed]. With the Soyuz parked in its current location, the EVA hatch is between the main Station modules and our rescue vehicle (the Soyuz). We have a rule that basically assures that the crew is never separated from the rescue vehicle (and certainly not by having a module at vacuum in the path). So in the case of some problem during the EVA, my crew-mates would have entered the upper part of the Soyuz vehicle and repressurized there before doffing their suits. In that case, we would either have to undock and redock the Soyuz to a different port on the Station, or return to Earth, depending on the nature of the problem.

As such, I also had a lot of extra equipment in there with me to handle a variety of off-nominal situations. Although there would normally be three people in there for a descent, it was quite full with just one person, 3 suits, and all the extra gear I had. Admittedly, though, some of that gear was to keep me busy - a computer, extra batteries, a book, a camera, food, water, extra clothing (it gets cold in there), etc.

I didn't play any chess in there, but I did write some letters, listened to music, and I watched a ton of Star Trek and StarGate I. For the second time around, I basically did a Star Trek Enterprise marathon! I'm watching the whole Enterprise series from beginning to end - usually one episode a day while I'm on our stationary cycling machine. It was a little strange to be watching Sci-Fi while looking out the Soyuz window down on the Earth. For all my life it seemed like hopeful fiction, but here I was sitting in a real spacecraft flying high above a beautiful planet.

I feel so fortunate to live at a time when we are beginning our exploration of Space, and to have a chance to be part of it. We might not have warp drive and transporters, but there's no denying that we have a permanent off-world presence on an amazing, huge, and very capable International Space Station up here, and that, in the future, people will be living and working on all kinds of space facilities to explore and expand humanity beyond Earth. From right here it seems like such a small and reachable step to just go farther.

10. Please tell us about your some of your duties on this space mission and its main goals.

I arrived on the Shuttle STS-124 mission, which was primarily aimed at installing the new Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), also named 'Kibo' (meaning Hope). This module is a huge addition to the Space Station and a state-of-the-art, very capable space laboratory. One of my primary objectives on the ISS Expedition 17 mission is to check out all systems in the JEM and bring the scientific equipment online to begin the Japanese program of scientific research. The European Columbus module is also a recently added advanced laboratory and there are numerous investigations planned there as well. Between the U.S., European, and Japanese programs, I've got a very busy 6 months up here trying to accomplish as much science as we possibly can, while also preparing the Station for a transition to a 6-person crew. In November, the STS-126 Shuttle mission will bring additional life support equipment, and the work required to reconfigure the Station to support the larger long-duration crews of the future begins now.

11. If you win would you claim to be the chess champion of space? What are your opinions of other intelligent life in the universe that may offer a challenge to your title?

I hope that the 'handicap' we gave to the Control Centers will assure that no one can take sole blame or credit for however this game turns out. We're playing for the fun of it, and for the camaraderie and team spirit that I hope it generates between centers on the ground and with us onboard. I haven't seen any aliens out here that can play chess, but I keep looking!

Dr. Gregory Chamitoff is currently serving a six-month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station as Expedition 17 ISS Flight Engineer and Science Officer. He launched to the station with the crew of STS-124 on May 31, 2008, docking with the station on June 2, 2008. He will return to Earth on shuttle mission STS-126.

We gratefully acknowledge the help of the following for giving us the opportunity to present this to you:

Robert Dempsey, DA8/Flight Director
Gregory Chamitoff, Astronaut
Photos courtesy NASA

Shulman leads Montreal

Round 5 results:

Shulman 1-0 Nataf
Zugic 1-0 Nakamura
Akobian 1/2 Maze
Charbonneau 1/2 Bluvshtein
Roussel-Roozmon 1/2 Kovalyov

Standings after 5 rounds:

1 Shulman, Yuri g USA 2623 4

2-3 Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 3½
Charbonneau, Pascal g CAN 2499 3½

4-5 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2697 3
Bluvshtein, Mark g CAN 2548 3

6-7 Nataf, Igor-Alexandre g FRA 2534 2
Zugic, Igor m CAN 2457 2

8-9 Kovalyov, Anton m ARG 2548 1½
Maze, Sebastien g FRA 2553 1½

10 Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas m CAN 2486 1

Zugic downs Nakamura in Montreal

IM Zugic (2457) - GM Nakamura (2697) [D02]
28.08.2008 - Montreal
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.Bf4 Nf6 4.c3 Nh5 5.Bg3 g6 6.Nbd2 Bg7 7.e3 Nd7 8.Bh4 h6 9.g4 Nhf6 10.h3 Qb6 11.Qc2 g5 12.Bg3 h5 13.Rg1 hxg4 14.hxg4 Nf8 15.Nxg5 Bxg4 16.Be5 Bh5 17.Bd3 Rg8 18.Nh3 Bg4 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.Be2 Bxe2 21.Rxg8 Ba6 22.Ng5 Qb5 23.0–0–0 Bxg5 24.Rxg5 Qe2 25.Nb3 Qxc2+ 26.Kxc2 b6 27.Rg8 Bc8 28.Rh1 f6 29.Kd2 Kf7 30.Rhh8 Bf5 31.Nc1 c5 32.Nd3 cxd4 33.exd4 Bxd3 34.Kxd3 Rc8 35.f4 e6 36.a4 a5 37.b3 Rd8 38.c4 Re8 39.c5 White wins 1–0

Replay the game here.

The start of World Women Chess Championship

World Women Chess Championship starts today
fresh information about the WWCC in Nalchik
Information about the World Women Chess Championship
Report by chessdom.com

Official website

Statements: Kirsan Ilymzhinov / Boris Kutin / Arsen Kanokov
General information / Pairings round 1 / Venue

Today in Nalchik (Kabardino Balkaria) starts the World Women Chess Championship, of which Chessdom.com is official media partner. 53 players from 29 countries will participate. Among them will be the world champion Xu Yuhua, the ex world champion Antoaneta Stefanova, the women rating leader Humpy Koneru, and the leader of the Russian team Alexandra Kosteniuk.

Pairings of round 1 are already known and the exciting clashes will start on August 29th.

Despite the difficult disputes around the political situation in the region, the Organizing Committee managed to meet all conditions by FIDE on time. The FIDE commission has inspected the site and has given the definite green light for the championship.

Today, August 28th, is the opening ceremony of the World Women Chess Championship. On one of the biggest concert stages in Russia, the Green Theater in Nalchik, will be the official part of the ceremony. There will be welcome messages by the vice President of Russia and President of the Russian Chess Federation Alexander Zhukov, by the President of FIDE Kirsan Ilymzhinov, and the President of Kabardino Balkaria Arsen Kanokov.

On the next day, August 29th, games will start at 15:00 local time (13:00 CET). The first moves will be by the official guests.

Chessdom.com will have direct transmission from Nalchik with live chat, interviews, many photos, and information updated every hour. The live games will be on the official page and the later stages will be commented live on Chessdom as well. Games in Nalchik will be commented by GM Evgeny Vasiukov.

Everything at the hotel “Sindica” is reported to be ready for round 1. Banners with chess symbols and words of greeting meet the guests at the entrance to the town. The largest of them is hung on the facade of the Musical Theater. Intour hotel “Sindica” will become a chess club for the period of carrying out of the championship.

The square in front of the hotel is decorated with the flags of the participating countries; a large poster with the Championship symbols and greetings meets the guests in the foyer. The hall of the restaurant is refitted as a chess playing ground. According to the rules of FIDE the floor is covered with carpets, the tables have been changed and arranged in a certain order.

Electronic chess boards and plates with the names of participants as well as camera-recorders for live broadcasting have been set there. The restaurant has been moved to the terrace. The Press-Center of the Championship has also been equipped according to the requirements of the FIDE. It is situated in the small conference hall of the hotel, from where we will be reporting.

The Women World Chess Champion for 2008 will be know on September 18th. The new chess queen will receive a crown with 46 diamonds and 3 large sapphires.

The incredible Wang Yue

Wang Yue did it again after a draw in the last round by GM Agdestein, he is back again in a winning form by defeating GM Jussupow!


GM Wang (2704) - GM Jussupow (2587) [E21]
2008 NH Chess Tournament, 28.08.2008
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 0–0 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 Qe7 8.Be2 Re8 9.0–0 Bxc3 10.bxc3 e5 11.Nd2 h6 12.Bh4 Nf8 13.Ne4 g5 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Bg3 Bf5 16.Qb3 b6 17.Rad1 Qg6 18.Rd2 Nd7 19.f3 e4 20.f4 g4 21.Qa3 Qe6 22.Qa6 Nf8 23.Bd1 Qc8 24.Qa3 Ng6 25.c5 d5 26.Bb3 Rd8 27.c4 c6 28.cxd5 cxd5 29.Rc1 Qb7 30.Rdc2 Rac8 31.Qb4 h5 32.Qb5 h4 33.Be1 Rc6 34.cxb6 Rxb6 35.Qa5 Rd7 36.Ba4 Ra6 37.Qb5 Qxb5 38.Bxb5 Ra3 39.Bxd7 Bxd7 40.Rc5 Be6 41.f5 Bxf5 42.Rxd5 Be6 43.Rd8+ Kh7 44.Bc3 h3 45.d5 Bf5 46.Rc2 Kh6 47.d6 hxg2 48.Kxg2 Kg5 49.Kg3 Be6 50.d7 a6 51.Bd4 Rd3 52.Rc6 White wins 1–0

Replay the game here.

The Indian favorite

Humpy favourite in World Women chess championship

Nalchik, Aug 28: Grandmaster Koneru Humpy will have a chance to make history for India and put the nation on top of the chess world when she starts her campaign in the World Women's chess championship here.

Humpy, who spearheads the Indian challenge, is the top-rated player in the event. If she lives up to her billing and come out triumphant in the tournament, India will rule the game as Viswanathan Anand already enjoys the World champion tag in the men's section and Dronavalli Harika, and Abhijeet Gupta are the world junior champions in the men's and women's category respectively.

Apart from Humpy, much is also expected from International Master Harika who is fresh from her triumph in the World junior girls' championship. However, with a busy schedule in the recent past the Andhra-girl candidly admitted that she did not get enough time to prepare herself for the World Championship.

Another Indian, expected to make her presence felt in the tournament that kick starts later today, is Asian women champion and IM Tania Sachdev.

However, it might turn out to be a tough going for Woman Grandmaster Nisha Mohota. The only thing that might work in her favour is the experience of playing at the big league.

"It's never easy to participate in such big events and one has to play consistently to make an impact here," said Nisha, who was the only Indian to make it to the second round of the 2001 World Championship.

Meanwhile, defending champion Xu Yuhua of China, her 14-year old compatriot Yifan Hou, Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria and Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia are the main contenders in the premier women's event that has come first time to Nalchik.

For the records, 64 participants will take part in a knock out event spread over three-weeks. There will a mini-match of two games in each round with both white and black pieces and the final will be spread over four games. In the event of a tie in mini-matches, the result will be decided in games of shorter duration.

Indian players: Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, , Tania Sachdev and Nisha Mohota.

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/

Marc Arnold leads NA FIDE Invitational

After 7 rounds, a number of players are still in the hunt for IM norsm. The best chance belongs to FM Marc Arnold. He needs just 1 point in the final 2 rounds.

Here are the standings:

1st - FM Marc Arnold - 5.5/7 (needs 1 / 2 for IM norm)

2nd - IM Mesgen Amanov - 5/7

3rd - IM Angelo Young - 4.5/7

4th - 5th - FM Teddy Coleman and FM Florin Felecan - 3.5/7 (Felecan is 3.5/6 and needs to play his game with IM Kuderinov. Felecan needs 3/3 for IM norm)

6th - 7th - Michael Lee and Parker Zhao - 3/7

8th - IM Kirill Kuderinov - 2.5/6 (needs to play his game against FM Felecan)

9th - Robert Loncarevic - 2/7

10th - FM Aleksander Stamnov - 1.5/7

Official website: http://www.nachess.org/fide/

Miroshnichenko leads in Antwerp

GM Lahno held top seed to a draw while GM Miroshnichenko defeated GM Werle. This gives GM Miroshnichenko the clear lead at Antwerp after 5 rounds.

Round 5 results:

Lahno, Kateryna - Bu Xiangzhi ½-½
Miroshnichenko, Evgenij - Werle, Jan 1-0
Vaganian, Rafael - Schebler, Gerhard ½-½
Gyimesi, Zoltan - Timman, Jan ½-½
Michiels, Bart - Van der Stricht, Geert 1-0

Standings after 5 rounds:

1. Miroshnichenko, Evgenij g UKR 2593 5

2. Bu Xiangzhi g CHN 2710 4½
3. Timman, Jan H g NED 2562 4
4. Gyimesi, Zoltan g HUN 2586 3½
5. Schebler, Gerhard g GER 2453 3½
6. Vaganian, Rafael A g ARM 2594 3
7. Werle, Jan g NED 2591 2½
8. Michiels, Bart m BEL 2442 2½
9. Lahno, Kateryna g UKR 2507 1
10. Van der Stricht, Geert m BEL 2426 ½

Official website: http://www.inventichess.com

4 leads in Montreal Tournament

Round 4 results:

Nakamura, Hikaru - Charbonneau, Pascal ½-½
Maze, Sebastien - Shulman, Yuri 0-1
Kovalyov, Anton - Akobian, Varuzhan 0-1
Bluvshtein, Mark - Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas 1-0
Nataf, Igor-Alexandre - Zugic, Igor ½-½

Standings after 4 rounds:

1. Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2697 3
2. Shulman, Yuri g USA 2623 3
3. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 3
4. Charbonneau, Pascal g CAN 2499 3
5. Bluvshtein, Mark g CAN 2548 2½
6. Nataf, Igor-Alexandre g FRA 2534 2
7. Kovalyov, Anton m ARG 2548 1
8. Maze, Sebastien g FRA 2553 1
9. Zugic, Igor m CAN 2457 1
10. Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas m CAN 2486 ½

Official website: http://perso.b2b2c.ca/lesechecauquebec/tim2008.htm

Georgia’s women team boycotts World Chess Championship in Russia

28.08.2008, 10.46

TBILISI, August 28 (Itar-Tass) - Georgian women’s chess team has boycotted the World Chess Championship in Russia “to protest against the Russian authorities’ actions in relation to Georgia,” team members total journalists on Thursday.

Maya Chiburdanidze, Nino Khurtsidze, Maya Lomineishvili, Sofiko Gvetadze, Lela Dzhavakhishvili and Sofiko Khukhishvili confirmed the decision they had taken two weeks ago.

This decision was supported by the executive committee of the Georgian Chess Federation, including five-time world chess champion Nonna Gaprindashvili and two-time world chess champion Nana Alexandria.

In mid-August members of the Georgian women’s chess team announced “they will not take part in the world championship if it is held in Russia.” Meanwhile, they confirmed that “the team will participate in the world competition, if the FIDE World Chess Federation takes it over to any other country.”

Earlier, FIDE spokespersons said they tried to persuade the Georgian team to participate in the World Chess Championship due in Nalchik on August 28.

Source: http://www.itar-tass.com

One hundred percent readiness

August 27, 2008

One day left to the beginning of the long-awaited Women’s World Chess Championship in Nalchik. Participants from Hungary and Bulgaria, the press-officer of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Peter Rajcsanyi has already come to Nalchik.

Banners with chess symbols and words of greeting meet the guests at the entrance to the town. The largest of them is hung on the facade of the Musical Theatre. Intour hotel “Sindica” will become a chess club for the period of carrying out of the championship.

The square in front of the hotel is decorated with the flags of the participating countries; a large poster with the Championship symbols and greetings meets the guests in the foyer. The hall of the restaurant is refitted as a chess playing ground. According to the rules of FIDE the floor is covered with carpets, the tables have been changed. They are arranged in a certain order. Electronic chess boards and plates with the names of participants as well as camera-recorders for live broadcasting have been set here. The restaurant has been moved to the terrace. The Press-Center of the Championship has also been equipped according to the requirements of the FIDE. It is situated in the small conference hall of the hotel.

The first game of the first round will take place on August 29 in the intour hotel “Sindica”. All the rest games of the Championship will also be played there. Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Russia Alexander Zhukov will have the honorary right of the first move. End of the final game and coronation of the 12th Chess Queen will be held in a ceremonial setting in the presence of a large audience and journalists.

The Press Service of the President and Government of KBR

Official website: http://nalchik2008.fide.com/

Bilbao Grand Slam Final

Bilbao Grand Slam Final

The Bilbao super tournament will take place on September 2-13, 2008. The field is very strong with 6 players competing in a double round robin format: World Champion Anand, Tal Memorial winner Vassily Ivanchuk, former WC Veselin Topalov, the phenom Magnus Carlsen, Sochi Grand Prix runner up Teimour Radjabov and Sochi Grand Prix winner Levon Aronian.

Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and another 60 minutes to finish the game.

The total prize fund amounts to €400,000:

€150,000 for 1st
€70,000 for 2nd
€60,000 for 3rd
€50,000 for 4th
€40,000 for 5th
€30,000 for 6th

The players:

Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2798
Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2781
Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2777
Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2775
Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2744
Aronian, Levon g ARM 2737

Bu, Miroshnichenko lead Antwerp

The category 12 tournament in Antwerp, Belgium is at the half way mark. The top seed GM Bu is in first place together with GM Miroshnichenko.

Standings after 5 rounds:

1. Miroshnichenko, Bu Xiangzhi 4
3. Timman 3½
4-5. Gyimesi, Schebler 3
6-7. Vaganian, Werle 2½
8. Michiels 1½
9-10. Lahno, Van der Stricht ½

Official website: http://www.inventichess.com

Nakamura and Charbonneau lead Montreal

The Montreal tournament is taking place from August 24 to September 2, 2008.

Standings after 3 rounds:

1-2. Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2697 2½
1-2. Charbonneau, Pascal g CAN 2499 2½
3-4. Shulman, Yuri g USA 2623 2
3-4. Akobian, Varuzhan g USA 2610 2
5-6. Nataf, Igor-Alexandre g FRA 2534 1½
5-6. Bluvshtein, Mark g CAN 2548 1½
7-8. Kovalyov, Anton m ARG 2548 1
7-8. Maze, Sebastien g FRA 2553 1
9-10. Roussel-Roozmon, Thomas m CAN 2486 ½
9-10. Zugic, Igor m CAN 2457 ½

Official website: http://perso.b2b2c.ca/lesechecauquebec/tim2008.htm

Interview with Humpy Koneru

Humpys chance to set record straight
Manisha Mohite

India have been having its best moments in chess for the last one month with Abhijeet Gupta and Harika Dronavalli winning the World junior and World junior Girls title respectively and the under-16 team winning the World Youth Olympiad.

With the Women's World Chess Championship set to commence on Friday at Nalchik in Russia, all eyes will be on Koneru Humpy and if the Hyderabadi can pull it off this time, then India would be in possession of all the important World titles as Viswananthan Anand is the reigning World Champion.

Apart from Humpy, the other Indians in action are Harika Dronavalli, Tania Sachdev and Nisha Mohota.

Humpy starts as the highest rated player in fray though she is seeded second after reigning champion Yuhua Xu. Humpy, who is only the second woman in the history of the game to cross the 2600 ELO mark after Judit Polgar is the hot favourite in terms of rating.

The Indian has had terrific results in Open section but strangely has not done so well in the Women's section. In the last edition, she had started as the top seed but was eliminated in the second round.

The path to the title however is not easy as the event is a knock-out one with five rounds to be played to enter the final.

Tough contenderFormer World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria is another tough contender for the title. She won the North Ural Cup with effortless ease and has also been posting good results in Open sections.

China’s 14-year-old sensation Yifan Hou is another dangerous player who has sprinted her way to the become the fourth highest rated woman player in the World. At the last edition she had reached the third round and this time around she is much stronger.

In fact the Chinese have been dominating this event right from the time Xie Jun won it in 1991, Susan Polgar and Stefanova having a brief reign in between.

Russia who once ruled women's chess hardly find themselves without a strong contender.

Warm up

The Indians, apart from Mohota are pitted against lower ranked opponents in the first round. The 17-year-old Harika, fresh from her triumph in the World juniors would have warmed up sufficiently and if she can maintain her form, that would be an added bonus for India.

Tania is the reigning national champion and the 22-year-old has also won the Asian women's title while 29-year-old Nisha Mohota has maximum international exposure. Tania has been in good nick for the past two years and it would be interesting to watch how she and Nisha fare here.

Unpredictable results and shocking ousters have always been a hallmark of the knock-out event which requires immense mental toughness along with playing skills.

Margin of error is very limited in this format were a single defeat will dent your prospects badly as comeback possibilities are remote.

This tournament has seen many good players making early exits time and again. Will Humpy be lucky this time?

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com

1st Dragon Capital Vietnam Chess Open

1st Dragon Capital Vietnam Chess Open
Report by Chessdom.com

GM Azmaiparashvili, GM Nguyen, GM Le Quang , and GM Wesley So top seeded

The Dragon Capital Viet Nam Chess Tournament Open will kick off tomorrow, August 27th, in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The tournament is the sixth and last elimination round under the Grand Prix system in the Asian-Pacific region. The event will pick the most talented chess players in the region to compete in world tournaments. The 1st Dragon Chess tournament, which will give out a total of US$20,000, is scheduled to take place from tomorrow to next Tuesday with nine matches, and attracting many players from the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Georgia, Australia, India and Vietnam.

The time control of the tournament will be 90 minutes for the whole game with 30 seconds increment for every move starting from the first move. The official playin venue is P & T Hotel, Vung Tau, Vietnam.

A total of 44 players will participate in the 1st Dragon Capital Vietnam chess tournament. 31 of them are titled, 10 are GMs.

The top five in the overall standings in the ASEAN Grand Prix until now, all in the running for a share of the USD 25,000 prize for overall winners are IM Sadorra, GM Wesley So, GM Joey Antonio, IM Rolando Nolte, and IM Richard Bitoon, all from the Philippines.

In 6th and 7th places are GM Li Chao and IM Zhao Weiqi of China, and in 8th is IM Tirto from Indonesia. Dino Ballecer and IM Barlo Nadera, both also from the Philippines, round off the top 10 in 9th and 10th places respectively.

Participants

1 GM Azmaiparashvili Zurab GEO 2615
2 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son VIE 2579
3 GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2577
4 GM So Wesley PHI 2577
5 GM Dzhumaev Marat UZB 2549
6 GM Shanava Konstantine GEO 2522
7 Nolte Rolando PHI 2522
8 FM Phyo Chit MYA 2500
9 GM Nguyen Anh Dung VIE 2499
10 GM Tu Hoang Thong VIE 2493
11 GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2489
12 GM Zaw Win Lay MYA 2488
13 FM Zaw Oo MYA 2485
14 IM Sadorra Julio Catalino PHI 2470
15 FM San Thit Lwin MYA 2450, etc.

Official website: http://www.vietnamchess.com/

Ivanchuk clear first

Final Standings at the 2008 Tal Memorial

1. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2781 6
2-5. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2788 5
2-5. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2720 5
2-5. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2718 5
2-5. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2788 5
6. Leko, Peter g HUN 2741 4½
7-8. Kamsky, Gata g USA 2723 4
7-8. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2708 4
9. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2742 3½
10. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2741 3

Official website: http://www.russiachess.org/

Kamsky battles Ponomariov in a long one!

GM Kamsky (2723) - GM Ponomariov (2718) [C65]
27.08.2008 - Tal Memorial - Round 9
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0–0 d6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.h3 0–0 8.Nc3 Bb6 9.Re1 h6 10.Na4 c5 11.Nh2 Bd7 12.Nc3 Nh7 13.a4 Ba5 14.g4 Qe8 15.Re3 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Bxa4 17.Rg3 a5 18.c4 Bd7 19.f4 exf4 20.Bxf4 Qe7 21.Bd2 a4 22.Bc3 c6 23.Nf1 f6 24.h4 Be6 25.Ne3 Qd7 26.Qf3 a3 27.Ra2 Qb7 28.Kf2 Qb1 29.Ra1 a2 30.Qh1 Qxh1 31.Rxh1 Rfb8 32.Rgg1 Ra3 33.Ba1 Ra7 34.Bc3 Nf8 35.g5 fxg5 36.hxg5 hxg5 37.Rxg5 Rb1 38.Rhg1 Rxg1 39.Rxg1 g6 40.Ba1 Kf7 41.Nd1 d5 42.cxd5 cxd5 43.exd5 Bxd5 44.Nc3 Bc6 45.Bb2 Bd7 46.Ke3 Ra6 47.Kd2 Bf5 48.Ra1 Be6 49.Ne4 c4 50.Ng5+ Ke7 51.Nxe6 Nxe6 52.dxc4 g5 53.Be5 Nf4 54.Kc3 Ke6 55.Bc7 Kf5 56.Kb2 g4 57.Rxa2 Rxa2+ 58.Kxa2 g3 59.Bb6 g2 60.Bg1 Nh3 61.Bh2 Ng5 62.Bg1 Nf3 63.Bf2 Ke4 64.c5 Nd4 65.Ka3 Nxc2+ 66.Ka4 Nd4 67.Ka5 Ne6 68.c6 Kd3 69.Kb6 Ke2 70.Bg1 Kf1 71.Bh2 g1B+ 72.Bxg1 Kxg1 73.c7 Nxc7 74.Kxc7 1/2

The other players took a quick draw.

Replay the game here.

The experience plays like inexperience!

The "Experience" team loses again. In spite of a win by Bareev over Stellwagen and a draw by Agdestein against Wang Yue, the "Experience" team lost their 6th match out of 7.

Agdestein, Simen - Wang Yue ½-½
Jussupow, Artur - Cheparinov, Ivan ½-½
Bareev, Evgeny - Stellwagen, Daniël 1-0
Korchnoi, Viktor - Caruana, Fabiano 0-1
Ljubojevic, Ljubomir - L'Ami, Erwin 0-1

Score: Young Stars 24.5 - Experience 10.5

Simen Agdestein stops Wang!

After 6 straight wins, super Chinese GM Wang Yue's winning streak has been halted by GM Simen Agdestein of Norway, the former professional soccer player, and coach of Magnus Carlsen.

GM Agdestein (2583) - GM Wang (2704) [A11]
NH Chess Tournament, 27.08.2008
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.e5 Nc6 5.d4 Bf5 6.Bd3 Bxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.Nf3 Nge7 9.0–0 Nf5 10.Nc3 Be7 11.a3 0–0 12.Bd2 Nh4 13.Nxh4 Bxh4 14.Na4 Be7 15.Rac1 Qd7 16.Nc5 Bxc5 17.Rxc5 Rfc8 18.Rfc1 Ne7 19.b3 Rxc5 20.Rxc5 Rc8 21.Rxc8+ Qxc8 22.g4 Nc6 23.Kg2 a6 24.a4 Qf8 25.Bc3 Qe7 26.Kg3 Qc7 27.Kg2 Qb6 28.Qd1 Qd8 29.Qd2 h5 30.h3 hxg4 31.hxg4 Qh4 32.f3 Qh7 33.Qd1 Qh6 34.Bd2 Qg6 35.Be1 Qg5 36.Bd2 Qd8 37.Bc3 Ne7 38.Be1 Qc7 39.Qd2 Nc6 40.Qd1 Qe7 41.Bc3 Qd8 42.Qd3 Qc7 43.Qd2 Qe7 44.Qd1 Qh4 45.Be1 Qh6 46.Bd2 Qh7 47.Be1 Qg6 48.Bc3 f6 49.exf6 gxf6 50.Be1 f5 51.Bf2 Kf7 52.Kg3 Ne7 53.Qd2 fxg4 54.fxg4 Nf5+ 55.Kh3 Nd6 56.Qf4+ Ke7 57.Bh4+ Kd7 58.Bg3 Qh7+ 59.Kg2 Qc2+ 60.Kh3 Qh7+ 61.Kg2 Qc2+ 62.Kh3 Game drawn ½–½

Replay the game here.

Short draws in last round

Alekseev, Evgeny (2708) - Leko, Peter (2741) [C53]
2008 Tal Memorial (9), 27.08.2008
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Be3 Bg4 11.Qc2 Bf5 12.Qb3 Be6 13.0–0 f5 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Ne5 Nd6 17.Nxc6 Nc4 18.Rae1 Kh8 19.Nb4 Qf7 20.Na4 Qg6 21.Kh1 Ba5 22.a3 Bh3 23.Rg1 Bg4 24.Nc5 c6 25.f4 Rab8 ½–½

Gelfand, Boris (2720) - Morozevich, Alexander (2788) [A04]
2008 Tal Memorial (9), 27.08.2008
1.Nf3 g6 2.e4 d6 3.c4 Bg4 4.d4 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 Bg7 6.Qd1 c6 7.Nc3 Qb6 8.Be3 Qxb2 9.Na4 Qb4+ 10.Bd2 Qa3 11.Bc1 Qb4+ 12.Bd2 Qa3 13.Bc1 ½–½

GM Jussupow draws with Cheparinov

GM Jussupow (2587) - GM Cheparinov (2687) [A61]
NH Chess Tournament, 27.08.2008
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.Bf4 a6 8.e4 b5 9.Qe2 Be7 10.Qc2 0–0 11.a4 b4 12.Nd1 b3 13.Qxb3 Nxe4 14.Bd3 f5 15.Bh6 Re8 16.0–0 Nd7 17.Nc3 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Bf6 19.Rae1 Rb8 20.Qc2 Ne5 21.Nxe5 Bxe5 22.Bd2 Bd7 23.Bxa6 Qa5 24.Bc4 Qxa4 25.Qxa4 Bxa4 26.f4 Bf6 27.Rxe8+ Bxe8 28.Ra1 Rb2 29.Ra2 Rxa2 30.Bxa2 Ba4 31.Kf2 Bc2 32.Bc4 Be4 33.g3 h6 34.h4 Kf7 35.Ke2 Ke7 36.Bb3 Kd8 37.c4 Ke7 38.Ba4 Bd4 39.Bb5 Bc2 40.Ba5 Bf6 41.Bd2 Kf7 42.Bd7 Bd4 Game drawn ½–½

Replay the game here

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Tal Memorial Blitz Qualifier

The Tal Memorial Qualifying Blitz Tournament is heading into the final round today. After 8 rounds, here are some of the leaders:

1 GM Volokitin, Andrei 6.5 UKR 2671

2 GM Grischuk, Alexander 6.0 RUS 2728
3 GM Mamedov, Rauf 6.0 AZE 2627
4 GM Zhou, Jianchao 6.0 CHN 2604
5 GM Aleksandrov, Aleksej 6.0 BLR 2574

6 GM Karjakin, Sergey 5.5 UKR 2727
7 GM Dreev, Alexey 5.5 RUS 2657
8 GM Sutovsky, Emil 5.5 ISR 2654
9 GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian 5.5 RUS 2602
10 GM Popov, Valerij 5.5 RUS 2524

11 GM Movsesian, Sergei 5.0 SVK 2723
12 GM Rublevsky, Sergei 5.0 RUS 2699
13 GM Efimenko, Zahar 5.0 UKR 2670
14 GM Van Wely, Loek 5.0 NED 2644
15 GM Grachev, Boris 5.0 RUS 2640
16 GM Khismatullin, Denis 5.0 RUS 2613
17 GM Dlugy, Maxim 5.0 USA 2518

Here are the full standings: http://www.russiachess.org/games/2008/blitz_sf/index.html