Archive for June 17th, 2009

At last a quick draw: against Gata Kamsky Romanian GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, who had lost his first two games, went for a well-known 16-move draw. Ivanchuk tried to improve in Gelfand’s Petroff, but settled for a draw after 37 moves. The most exciting encounter was the Gruenfeld between Radjabov and Shirov, in which Black walked along the brink. GM commentary by GM Dorian Rogozenco.

Even without Topalov and Cheparinov it was the strongest team competition ever in Bulgaria. The team of Lokomotiv Sofia scored a double victory, winning in both groups. The Team Championships for men and women was held from 8-14 June 2009 at Sunny Beach, a resort with a remarkable mixture of styles. GM Dejan Bojkov, who played in the event, has sent us a report and pictures.

Were he still alive, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, the tenth World Chess Champion,
would be 80 years old today. He was nicknamed “the boa constrictor”
for the remarkable way in which he could suffocate even the greatest opponents
over the chessboard. In this week’s Playchess
lecture Dennis Monokroussos uses a game against Botvinnik to illustrate Petrosian’s
technique. Be there at 9 p.m. ET.