In Garden State Chess League action last night, Staten Island defeated Sparta 2.5-1.5 & West Orange swept Maplewood 4-0.
I had a chance to keep Maplewood in the match with the score at 2-0 but missed equality at move 23 & had to resign after just 5 more turns :
Black to play
I have posted analysis of what I call The Labourdonnais – McDonnell Attack against the French Defense, with 1.e4 e6 2.f4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3. It is a fascinating line well worth reviving, as Igor Glek recently argued in SOS #8.
Though theory clearly prefers the name Labourdonnais Variation for the line that begins 1.e4 e6 2.f4 and McDonnell Attack for 1.e4 c5 2.f4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.e5, I think that even a glance at the historical record should convince anyone that McDonnell deserves credit for both. I suppose Labourdonnais gains the name on the strength of his attractive game De LaBourdonnais – Lecrivain, Paris 1837. But this example is clearly preceded by McDonnell – De LaBourdonnais, Match 1834 which began with the French move order, let alone the more than a dozen additional games with the line between these two unofficial rivals for the “world championship.” My favorite game with this opening between the two, McDonnell – De LaBourdonnais, London Match 1834, shows what an exciting and hard fought series of contests it was. It seems fitting that the opening be named after both of them, as they are forever linked in the annals of chess history and even lie in nearly adjacent graves in London’s Kensal Green.
Vishy Anand dominated on the first day of the rapid chess match in Hungary against Peter Leko. The World Champion was applying pressure with black at the end of game one, and then outplayed his opponent in a very enjoyable game two. Both were Grundfelds. We bring you live photo impressions, a video report including interviews with Anand and Leko, and the games with GM commentary.
On the day before the start of the rapid chess match between Peter Leko and Vishy Anand there was a press meeting and then a very special treat in the playing venue: one of the most colorful and beautifully choreographed openings ceremony we have seen. The themes were Hungarian and Indian chess, and were vigorously illustrated by supple young dancers. The result? India won – easily!
Positions that were mysterious to masters fifty years ago now strike amateurs
as obvious. But remember: we have learned by the example of great players, who
had to figure things out for themselves. In this week’s Playchess
lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows us the game Gligoric-Tolush from a Leningrad
team tournament in 1957 to illustrate the point. Be there to watch at 9 p.m. ET.
The event was staged in the Crimean town of Alushta. For the third time in a row PVK Kievchess, led by former FIDE knockout world champion Rustam Ponomariov, took the title. One of the stars of the team was twelve-year-old Ukrainian talent Illja Nyzhnyk, who has increased his rating to 2499. Report, games, and some extraordinary photography by Anastasiya Karlovich.
It is not often that the head of state drops in at a chess school or club. Last week Shimon Peres, the ninth and current President of the State of Israel, who visited the Chess Academy, where he was briefed on the aims and goals of the programme by GM Boris Alterman, former student and advisor of Garry Kasparov. Pictorial report from Tel Aviv.