Just ten days until the Anand vs. Kramnik World Chess Championship match of 2008! Tonight I present another preview game for the upcoming World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik. The game I chose is a recent example of the two contenders going head to head in a major event. My analysis is aboveContinue reading "Kramnik vs. Anand"
World Computer Chess Championships 2008
On 9/28/2008 the 16'th World Computer Chess Championships began in Beijing, China. The IGCA has scheduled an eleven round accelerated swiss tournament format for the top chess engines in the world to compete for the the title of World Computer Chess Champion 2008. The accelerated swiss structure strikes me as odd being that there are onlyContinue reading "World Computer Chess Championships 2008"
India in the Chess Spotlight
The sub-continent that invented the game of chess in the sixth century is now becoming the focus of chess in the twenty-first century. Viswanathan Anand, the current World Chess Champion, has ignited a nationalistic enthusiasm for the "Game of Kings" not seen since the Soviet era. Anand has received rock star status in hisContinue reading "India in the Chess Spotlight"
The 2700 Club Is Becoming Crowded!
The October 2008 FIDE Rating List now has 32 players with ratings above 2700. Here they are in order of ranking: Rank Name Country Rating 1Topalov, VeselinBUL 2791 2Morozevich, AlexanderRUS 2787 3Ivanchuk, VassilyUKR 2786 4Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2786 5Anand, Viswanathan IND 2783 6Kramnik, VladimirRUS 2772 7Aronian, Levon ARM 2757 8Radjabov, TeimourAZE 2751 9Leko, Peter HUN 2747Continue reading "The 2700 Club Is Becoming Crowded!"
Can Kramnik Win With The Black Pieces? Will It Matter?
Between 1989 and 2008 Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik played 51 head-to-head games under classical conditions. The results below show that Kramnik has yet to win a game as black when up against Anand. This is a remarkable statistic based on the number of match-ups these two chess players have had. Vladimir Kramnik's win with white and draw with blackContinue reading "Can Kramnik Win With The Black Pieces? Will It Matter?"
15 Days Until The World Chess Championships
Tonight we look at another brilliancy from the current World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. This game was played before Anand was World Champion and after his opponent Anatoly Karpov had lost his title to Garry Kasparov. Once again we see Anand's desire to be adventurous in the opening by playing the off-beat line 4. e4Continue reading "15 Days Until The World Chess Championships"
Astronaut vs. Earth Chess Match
International Space Station flight engineer and science officer Greg Chamitoff has no problem playing chess in zero gravity while traveling at 5 miles per second. In fact, he made short work out of defeating the NASA Mission Control Center crew in his spare time while in orbit on the International Space Station. Now comes the real challenge.Continue reading "Astronaut vs. Earth Chess Match"
Vladimir Kramnik in Germany
The upcoming World Championship Chess Match against Viswanathan Anand is not Vladimir Kramnik's first chess match in Germany. In July of 2000 Kramnik played another high profile match in Deutschland. This time his opponent was the highly touted computer program Deep Junior. Because his opponent was a computer, Kramnik used anti-computer strategy that would not workContinue reading "Vladimir Kramnik in Germany"
Earn Money Teaching Chess to Children in After School Programs!
Earn money teaching chess to children in after school programs!The Torres Chess & Music Academy, a nonprofit organization, is currently looking for outgoing individuals who work well with kids. Our schools are located in the Cupertino, Palo Alto, Fremont and San Bruno areas. Join our team now! There is plenty of room for advancement withinContinue reading "Earn Money Teaching Chess to Children in After School Programs!"
Kramnik vs. Anand 2008 preview: A 1996 game played by Kramnik
Just 18 days until Anand plays Kramnik for the title of World Chess Champion in Bonn, Germany. Below I continue with my preview for this historic match by examining a timeless game played by Kramnik in 1996. Enjoy! In 1996 Vladimir Kramnik played an exceptionally brilliant game as black verses a very strong opponent namedContinue reading "Kramnik vs. Anand 2008 preview: A 1996 game played by Kramnik"
Missed A Post
My five month old daughter, Rosaleia Jane Torres has acquired a terrible head cold. Yesterday, instead of posting to this site, I was rocking her to sleep over and over again. I really need to start bragging about my daughter more as most of my students' families have no idea I am a father. Here goes:Continue reading "Missed A Post"
Anand vs. Kramnik: Backround Information
Anand vs. Kramnik should provide the most entertaining chess we have seen in quite some time. Below is a comparison of the achievements of these two chess titans. Vladimir Kramnik's achievements (source: http://www.vladimirkramnik.com * 1990 Russian Championship, Kuibyshev (classical) I * 1991 World Championship (U18), Guarapuav (classical) I * 1992 Chalkidiki (classical) 7.5/11Continue reading "Anand vs. Kramnik: Backround Information"
Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand was born on December 11, 1969 in Madras India. At the age of 14, Vishy won the 1983 National Sub-Junior Chess Championship with a score of 9/9. A year later he became India's youngest player ever to achieve the International Master title. In 1987, Anand became the first Indian to win the World JuniorContinue reading "Viswanathan Anand"
Countdown until Anand vs. Kramnik
In 22 days Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik will face off in Bonn, Germany for the title of World Chess Champion. According to my database these two elite chess players have faced each other in 127 official games. On these occasions, Anand beat Kramnik 19 to 15, with 93 draws. Below is VladimirContinue reading "Countdown until Anand vs. Kramnik"
Nigel Short Forfeited By Cell Phone
The European Union Open Championships took place from September 9th to 18th September 2008 in Liverpool, England. Hometown hero and former world chess champion contender Nigel Short was penalized in this event for allowing his cell phone to ring. Before his game against Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, Nigel Short turned off his brand new Nokia cell phoneContinue reading "Nigel Short Forfeited By Cell Phone"
Ray Robson Wins Miami Open
Congratulations to13 Year-Old Ray Robson on placing first at the 2008 Miami Chess Open. After nine scheduled rounds, Ray ended in a tie for first with GM Darmen Sadvakasov. Ray defeated Darmen in an Armageddon game to capture first place. Below is the final cross-table as well as a beautiful game to put his achievement in perspective. [Event "Miami Open 2008"] [DateContinue reading "Ray Robson Wins Miami Open"
Success during troubled economic times
Most of the Torres Chess and Music Academy's chess programs have started and it is clear that our organization is on pace for its best year to date. Interesting that this should be the case with the United States economy in a dire situation. I may complain about the 4-5 hours driving time but atContinue reading "Success during troubled economic times"
World Chess Championship?
Here are the new world chess rankings based on FIDE ratings. This makes the upcoming Kramnik vs. Anand match seem questionable in its ability to crown a new world champion. Then again, any match is better than another FIDE farse world championship tournament. 01 Topalov off 2790 02 Morozevich off 2787Continue reading "World Chess Championship?"
To Teach or not to Teach?
It happened again. I have received a very good offer to give chess lessons to another chess instructor who is not officially working for the Torres Chess and Music Academy. Teaching this individual would involve profiting personally but creating potential professional competition. I have yet to make my decision on whether to accept this opportunity. InContinue reading "To Teach or not to Teach?"
Kosteniuk become World Champion
On September 17, 2008, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk became the new Womens World Chess Champion by managing a draw against a very formidable fourteen year old opponent named Hou Yifan. The Women's World Championship took place from August 28th to September 18th in Nalchik, Russia. Below are all the games from the match. Enthusiasts can put them inContinue reading "Kosteniuk become World Champion"