Chess Musings

Kramnik vs. Svidler: 2009 Tal Memorial

chessmusings — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:35:46 +0000

Below is Kramnik’s win over Svidler in a Gruenfeld Defense: Exchange Variation. A lot could be stated about the opening theory as Kramnik tried a new move successfully with 12. h4. However, I do not believe Kramnik’s courageous new move is to blame for Svidler’s failure. Instead, Svidler seemed to have forgotten that “Knight’s on the rim are dim” and attempted to spar with a world champion contender minus a Knight. I say minus a Knight due to the fact that Svidler moved his Knight to a6 on move 11 and then left it there to rot.

[Event "Tal Memorial"]
[Site "0:10:33-0:04:33"]
[Date "2009.11.08"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "4"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Kramnik"]
[Black "Svidler"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "4"]

1.d4 Nf6{notes by Chris Torres} 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Rc1 Qa5 9.Qd2 O-O 10.Nf3 Bg4 11.d5 Na6 12.h4{Kramnik’s aggressive new move} f5{Svidler’s first missed opportunity to repost his Knight to c7} 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.h5 Rad8 15.hxg6 Bxg6 16.Bh6 Bxh6 17.Rxh6 Rf6 18.Ne5 Qa4{Svidler’s second missed opportunity to repost his Knight to c7} 19.Qe3 Qf4 20.Qxf4 Rxf4 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.Rxg6+ Kf7 23.Rg5 Re4+{Svidler’s third missed opportunity to repost his Knight to c7} 24.Be2 Kf6{Svidler’s fourth missed opportunity to repost his Knight to c7} 25.Rh5 Kg6 26.g4 Rf8 27.Rd1 Rf6 28.Rh8 Kg7 29.Rd8 Rb6 30.f3 Re3 31.Rd3 Re5 32.Kf2 Rh6{? A bad mistake. Better was 33… b5 34. f4 Re4 35. Re3 Rxf4+ 36. Kg2 Kf7}33.Bf1 Rh2+ 34.Kg3 Rxa2 35.d6 exd6 36.R3xd6 Re7 37.R6d7 1-0

FIDE Top 100

chessmusings — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:48:24 +0000

Below is the FIDE top 100 list for November(source http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/). Vugar Gashimov broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Born in 1986, Mr. Gashimov hails from Azerbaijan and is known for his extreme skill in one minute chess. Below is a recent example of his Brilliant play against American grandmaster Gata Kamsky:

[Event "Baku Grand Prix"]
[Site "Baku AZE"]
[Date "2008.04.28"]
[EventDate "2008.04.21"]
[Round "7"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Vugar Gashimov"]
[Black "Gata Kamsky"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2679"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[PlyCount "103"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5
7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Qd7 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 12. Nf1
Nd8 13. Ng3 Ne6 14. Ba2 c5 15. Bd2 Bf8 16. b4 h6 17. c4 Nf4
18. Re3 bxc4 19. dxc4 Ne6 20. Bb1 g6 21. Re1 Qc7 22. Bd3 Bg7
23. Rb1 Nd7 24. Ne2 Nd4 25. Nc3 Rec8 26. Rc1 Qd8 27. Nd5 Bc6
28. Bf1 Nf8 29. Nxd4 exd4 30. f4 Nd7 31. Qf3 Rcb8 32. Qg3 cxb4
33. axb4 a5 34. b5 Bxd5 35. cxd5 Nc5 36. e5 a4 37. Bb4 a3
38. Bxa3 d3 39. Bxc5 d2 40. Bxd6 Rb7 41. Red1 dxc1=Q 42. Rxc1
Rba7 43. Qb3 Ra1 44. Bc7 Qh4 45. Rxa1 Rxa1 46. Qf3 Qe1 47. b6
Qb4 48. d6 Qd4+ 49. Kh2 Rb1 50. b7 Rxb7 51. Qxb7 Qxf4+ 52. g3
1-0

FIDE Rating List November 2009 Top 100
Rk	Se09	Name	Title	NAT	YroB	ap08	ju08	oc08	ja09	ap09	ju09	se09	Rating	Gms
1	1	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	1975	2767	2777	2791	2796	2812	2813	2813	2810	10
2	4	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	1990	2765	2775	2786	2776	2770	2772	2772	2801	10
3	2	Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	1969	2803	2798	2783	2791	2783	2788	2788	2788	0
4	3	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	1982	2763	2737	2757	2750	2754	2768	2773	2786	13
5	5	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	1975	2788	2788	2772	2759	2759	2759	2772	2772	0
6	14	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	1986	2679	2717	2703	2723	2730	2740	2740	2758	11
7	9	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	1968	2723	2720	2719	2733	2733	2755	2756	2758	11
8	12	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	1976	2746	2738	2727	2723	2726	2739	2741	2754	17
9	6	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	1979	2741	2741	2747	2751	2751	2756	2762	2752	10
10	10	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	1977	2774	2788	2787	2771	2751	2751	2750	2750	0
11	7	Radjabov, Teimour	g	AZE	1987	2751	2744	2751	2761	2756	2756	2757	2748	10
12	8	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	1969	2740	2781	2786	2779	2746	2703	2756	2739	13
13	13	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	1983	2719	2718	2719	2726	2726	2727	2741	2739	5
14	17	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	1983	2716	2728	2719	2733	2748	2733	2733	2736	13
15	11	Jakovenko, Dmitry	g	RUS	1983	2711	2709	2737	2760	2753	2760	2742	2736	10
16	15	Wang, Yue	g	CHN	1987	2689	2704	2736	2739	2738	2736	2736	2734	27
17	24	Eljanov, Pavel	g	UKR	1983	2687	2716	2720	2693	2693	2716	2717	2729	15
18	20	Karjakin, Sergey	g	UKR	1990	2732	2727	2730	2706	2721	2717	2722	2723	12
19	21	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	1985	2752	2742	2731	2724	2725	2717	2721	2719	25
20	18	Shirov, Alexei	g	ESP	1972	2740	2741	2726	2745	2745	2732	2730	2719	18
21	22	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	1983	2695	2708	2719	2717	2721	2716	2719	2719	0
22	26	Movsesian, Sergei	g	SVK	1978	2695	2723	2732	2751	2747	2716	2711	2718	16
23	23	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	g	FRA	1990	2632	2681	2716	2696	2684	2703	2718	2718	0
24	16	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	1987	2686	2697	2704	2699	2701	2710	2735	2715	17
25	19	Alekseev, Evgeny	g	RUS	1985	2711	2708	2715	2718	2716	2714	2725	2715	7
26	36	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	g	ESP	1982	2684	2650	2664	2702	2688	2693	2696	2711	20
27	44	Tomashevsky, Evgeny	g	RUS	1987	2658	2646	2646	2664	2684	2689	2688	2708	21
28	42	Wang, Hao	g	CHN	1989	2689	2704	2736	2739	2696	2690	2690	2708	13
29	29	Short, Nigel D	g	ENG	1965	2660	2655	2642	2663	2674	2684	2706	2707	16
30	39	Navara, David	g	CZE	1985	2672	2646	2633	2638	2654	2687	2692	2707	9
31	25	Malakhov, Vladimir	g	RUS	1980	2689	2689	2675	2692	2709	2707	2715	2706	26
32	31	Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	g	UZB	1979	2681	2679	2672	2687	2695	2672	2702	2705	5
33	48	Almasi, Zoltan	g	HUN	1976	2674	2668	2663	2680	2685	2684	2685	2704	15
34	28	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	1983	2705	2691	2705	2722	2728	2721	2709	2700	27
35	34	Akopian, Vladimir	g	ARM	1971	2673	2673	2679	2700	2696	2712	2698	2700	7
36	50	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	1971	2729	2735	2734	2712	2703	2699	2682	2698	12
37	30	Rublevsky, Sergei	g	RUS	1974	2695	2699	2702	2702	2702	2703	2703	2697	17
38	45	Nielsen, Peter Heine	g	DEN	1973	2629	2652	2662	2660	2668	2680	2687	2697	10
39	35	Jobava, Baadur	g	GEO	1983	2658	2665	2664	2669	2687	2684	2696	2696	0
40	27	Motylev, Alexander	g	RUS	1979	2666	2674	2672	2676	2677	2710	2710	2695	23
41	38	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	1974	2726	2723	2729	2725	2720	2717	2692	2695	16
42	53	Vitiugov, Nikita	g	RUS	1987	2617	2616	2638	2687	2688	2681	2681	2694	24
43	43	Bologan, Viktor	g	MDA	1971	2665	2686	2682	2687	2690	2689	2688	2692	24
44	52	Volokitin, Andrei	g	UKR	1986	2684	2672	2659	2671	2671	2678	2681	2691	16
45	47	Naiditsch, Arkadij	g	GER	1985	2623	2665	2678	2693	2700	2697	2685	2689	26
46	41	Miroshnichenko, Evgenij	g	UKR	1978	2642	2593	2632	2667	2680	2696	2690	2686	26
47	32	Bu, Xiangzhi	g	CHN	1985	2708	2710	2714	2702	2704	2702	2702	2682	22
48	46	Polgar, Judit	g	HUN	1976	2709	2711	2711	2693	2693	2687	2687	2680	6
49	37	Moiseenko, Alexander	g	UKR	1980	2650	2632	2678	2676	2690	2682	2694	2677	17
50	67	Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter	g	ROU	1976	2684	2692	2684	2675	2675	2675	2664	2677	14
51	54	Sargissian, Gabriel	g	ARM	1983	2643	2660	2642	2678	2660	2667	2678	2676	16
52	33	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	1975	2664	2670	2644	2659	2684	2699	2699	2672	18
53	56	Harikrishna, P.	g	IND	1986	2679	2668	2659	2673	2686	2679	2673	2672	16
54	68	Georgiev, Kiril	g	BUL	1965	2665	2671	2645	2634	2637	2645	2663	2672	13
55	62	Cheparinov, Ivan	g	BUL	1986	2695	2687	2696	2679	2678	2678	2667	2671	5
56	83	Efimenko, Zahar	g	UKR	1985	2660	2670	2680	2688	2682	2654	2654	2668	24
57	55	Sutovsky, Emil	g	ISR	1977	2630	2654	2651	2660	2660	2675	2676	2666	26
58	59	Kurnosov, Igor	g	RUS	1985	2593	2617	2606	2602	2658	2669	2669	2666	20
59	51	Najer, Evgeniy	g	RUS	1977	2627	2670	2682	2669	2669	2663	2681	2666	17
60	40	Ni, Hua	g	CHN	1983	2703	2705	2710	2709	2724	2701	2692	2665	35
61	57	Tiviakov, Sergei	g	NED	1973	2634	2645	2686	2684	2697	2674	2670	2664	34
62	63	Areshchenko, Alexander	g	UKR	1986	2650	2664	2664	2673	2657	2651	2667	2664	16
63	81	Landa, Konstantin	g	RUS	1972	2633	2615	2613	2626	2627	2655	2655	2664	16
64	74	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	1981	2679	2684	2694	2711	2682	2669	2661	2664	9
65	88	Smirin, Ilia	g	ISR	1968	2630	2637	2649	2647	2641	2650	2648	2662	16
66	69	Berkes, Ferenc	g	HUN	1985	2618	2645	2645	2651	2638	2647	2663	2661	21
67	93	Riazantsev, Alexander	g	RUS	1985	2638	2617	2656	2634	2635	2647	2646	2661	16
68	78	Roiz, Michael	g	ISR	1983	2659	2680	2677	2647	2635	2658	2658	2659	3
69	85	Krasenkow, Michal	g	POL	1963	2624	2639	2624	2620	2622	2631	2651	2656	19
70	90	Lastin, Alexander	g	RUS	1976	2622	2639	2651	2643	2650	2648	2648	2656	11
71	70	Pashikian, Arman	g	ARM	1987	2537	2564	2611	2621	2655	2650	2663	2656	11
72	71	Dreev, Alexey	g	RUS	1969	2657	2657	2670	2688	2668	2660	2662	2655	44
73	92	Baklan, Vladimir	g	UKR	1978	2647	2631	2625	2627	2618	2639	2646	2655	32
74	60	Avrukh, Boris	g	ISR	1978	2632	2656	2657	2645	2647	2641	2668	2655	7
75	–	Ganguly, Surya Shekhar	g	IND	1983	2614	2631	2603	2614	2625	2637	2634	2654	25
76	95	Fier, Alexandr	g	BRA	1988	2527	2558	2581	2590	2595	2604	2644	2653	28
77	100	Kazhgaleyev, Murtas	g	KAZ	1973	2617	2641	2640	2630	2626	2639	2643	2653	15
78	77	Fressinet, Laurent	g	FRA	1981	2656	2673	2676	2666	2664	2667	2658	2653	14
79	65	Meier, Georg	g	GER	1987	2560	2556	2558	2608	2641	2658	2664	2653	10
80	49	Grachev, Boris	g	RUS	1986	2610	2640	2653	2655	2652	2669	2684	2652	23
81	72	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	1992	2620	2630	2640	2646	2649	2670	2662	2652	21
82	82	Predojevic, Borki	g	BIH	1987	2651	2634	2615	2650	2652	2644	2654	2652	17
83	86	Van Wely, Loek	g	NED	1972	2676	2644	2618	2625	2622	2655	2650	2652	15
84	79	Sokolov, Ivan	g	BIH	1968	2690	2658	2650	2657	2669	2655	2657	2652	11
85	76	Milov, Vadim	g	SUI	1972	2690	2705	2681	2669	2659	2659	2659	2652	5
86	61	Timofeev, Artyom	g	RUS	1985	2664	2650	2670	2671	2677	2681	2668	2651	22
87	84	Postny, Evgeny	g	ISR	1981	2649	2661	2674	2652	2648	2647	2651	2650	26
88	–	Smeets, Jan	g	NED	1985	2578	2593	2604	2601	2626	2632	2642	2650	17
89	73	Fridman, Daniel	g	GER	1976	2640	2637	2630	2650	2646	2665	2661	2649	15
90	94	Seirawan, Yasser	g	USA	1960	2630	2634	2634	2634	2634	2646	2646	2649	1
91	–	Vescovi, Giovanni	g	BRA	1978	2617	2631	2635	2635	2631	2631	2636	2648	19
92	80	Beliavsky, Alexander G	g	SLO	1953	2641	2606	2619	2646	2640	2662	2656	2648	17
93	91	Zhigalko, Sergei	g	BLR	1989	2568	2583	2592	2587	2622	2621	2646	2646	0
94	66	Inarkiev, Ernesto	g	RUS	1985	2684	2675	2669	2656	2676	2675	2664	2645	21
95	–	Savchenko, Boris	g	RUS	1986	2569	2578	2648	2654	2655	2650	2638	2644	29
96	–	Khismatullin, Denis	g	RUS	1984	2584	2613	2606	2601	2601	2604	2614	2643	16
97	–	Socko, Bartosz	g	POL	1978	2644	2627	2631	2631	2637	2656	2637	2643	15
98	89	Kobalia, Mikhail	g	RUS	1978	2627	2618	2630	2634	2645	2645	2648	2643	9
99	–	Korobov, Anton	g	UKR	1985	2590	2590	2605	2613	2616	2623	2633	2642	14
100	58	Tkachiev, Vladislav	g	FRA	1973	2657	2664	2664	2657	2657	2650	2669	2642	14

Fremont Achiever Chess Team

chessmusings — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:58:59 +0000

Today was the start of the Fremont Achiever Chess Team. Our group will meet every Saturday from 1:00 until 3:00 at the Achiever Institute in Fremont. This program is aimed at the serious young chess player who aspires to improve his/her game through hard work and practice. Each week we will play one rated game as part of an ongoing tournament. Below is a copy of Luke Zhao’s first USCF rated game. Congratulations to Luke on winning his first game.

[Event "Fremont Achiever Chess Team"]
[Site "Fremont (achiever)"]
[Date "2009.11.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sui, Albert"]
[Black "Zhao, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[TimeControl "g30"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Na5 5. O-O Bb4 6. Nd5
Nxd5 7. exd5 c6 8. Bd3 cxd5 9. Nxe5 O-O 10. Qh5 g6 11. Qh3 Qg5 12. Re1 Qf6 13. c4 Bc5 14. Re2
dxc4 15. Nxc4 d5 16. Ne3 Bxh3 17. gxh3 Qg5+ 18. Kf1
Rae8 19. b4 Bxb4 20. Bb5 Re4 21. d3 Re5 22. Ng4 Qh4 23. Nxe5 a6 24. Bd7
Bc3 25. Rb1 Qf6 26. f4 g5 27. f5 Bxe5 28. Rg2
Rd8 29. Bxg5 Qd6 30. Be7+ Kh8 31. Bxd6 Bxd6 32. Ba4 b5 33. Bc2 b4 34. d4 Rb8
35. f6 Nc4 36. Re1 Na5 37. Re3 Nc4 38. Reg3 Bxg3
39. Rxg3 Re8 40. Ba4 Ne3+ 41. Ke1 Re6 42. Rg5 Rxf6
43. Bd7 Nf1 44. Rxd5 Nxh2 45. a4 b3 46. Kd1 b2
47. Kc2 Rf2+ 48. Kb1 Nf1 49. Ka2 Ng3 50. Bb5 Ne4 51. Bc6 Nc3+ 52. Ka3 b1Q
53. Rg5 Qb2# 0-1

FREMONT ACHIEVER CHESS TEAM

November 7^th through January 30^th

^{The Fremont Achiever Chess Team is brought to you by the Achiever Institute and the Torres Chess and Music Academy, a non-profit organization.}

The Fremont Achiever Chess Team chess program meets every Saturday from 1:00 until 3:00, beginning November 7, 2009.

The Fremont Achiever Chess Team has a very special chess program designed and taught by nationally renowned chess instructor Chris Torres. This class will provide experienced tournament players with instruction that will quickly increase their ability and understanding of chess. Participants will begin their afternoon by participating in an hour long chess class taught by Chris Torres. Students will then play 1 USCF rated chess game as part of the ongoing tournament and receive analysis of their play. All participants must be members of the USCF. If your child is not a member, your child can join or renew their USCF membership at the first meeting, or by going to uschess.org/

A USCF ID number is required in order to participate in the tournament.

For more information on the Torres Chess and Music Academy please visit chessandmusic.com.

The chess program will be offered every Saturday except for the dates listed below. The tuition for this program is $180 for ten weeks.

Checks should be made payable to The Achiever Institute.

43475 Ellsworth St. Fremont, CA 94539

(510) 226-6161 achieverinstitute.org

No refund will be given for unscheduled student absences.

There will be no class on 11/28, 12/26, and 1/2.

The last day of the Chess Team will be January 30, 2010.

PLEASE KEEP THESE DATES FOR YOUR RECORDS!!
FREMONT ACHEIVER CHESS TEAM

Name of child: ___________________________________________

Parents (Guardian) name(s): ________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

City: ___________________________ California Zip: __________

Telephone: (___)_________ E-mail: __________________________

School: ________________________________

Date of birth: ___/___/_____ Grade: _________________

USCF ID: _________________ EXP: ___/___/_____

This program is designed for tournament chess players.

1 $180.00 TOTAL PAID for ten weeks (11/7 – 1/30)

$_______ TOTAL PAID

I, hereby, as a Parent/Guardian of ______________________________ have read all the requirements and give my child permission to participate in the TCAMA Program held at the Achiever Institute. I recognize that this program is under the direction of the TCAMA and is no way connected to the Achiever Institute and only the TCAMA can be held legally responsible for this program.

Signature of parent or guardian: _______________________

Date: _____________

Please contact Chris Torres at (661) 699-8348 or at chesslessons@aol.com if you have any questions.

Please make the checks out to the Achiever Institute and mail them to:

The Achiever Institute

43475 Ellsworth St
Fremont, CA 94539

(510) 226-6161 achieverinstitute.org

Summer Chess Camp

chessmusings — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:00:57 +0000

Today was the start of the TCAMA Summer Chess Camp at Mission San Jose Elementary School in Fremont. So far we have over 30 students signed up for this three week camp. The camp which runs from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm features instruction from TCAMA chess coaches Joe Lonsadale, Tans Hylkema, and Chris Torres. The format includes lectures, rated play and one on one analysis. Its nice to see so many students from the rival schools of Mission San Jose Elementary and Weibel coming together to increase their chess skills and create lasting friendships. Below is a game from day 1 with light analysis:

[Event "Summer Camp"]

[Site "MSJE"]

[Date "2009.06.22"]

[Round "1"]

[White "Arun, Sagar"]

[Black "Zhang, Joseph"]

[Result "0-1"]

[PlyCount "22"]

[TimeControl "g90"]

1. e4 e5 {notes by Chris Torres} 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 {The Fried Liver Attack is always a popular choice!} 5. exd5 Nd4 {This line is exceptionally tricky. NCO recomends 6. c3 b5 7. Bf1 Nxd5 8. cxd4 Qxg5 9. Bb5+ Kd8 10. Qf3 Bb7 11. 0-0 Rb8 12. Qg3 Qxg3 } 6. d6 {an alternative worth studying} Qxd6 7. Nxf7 [White feel for a trap. Bxf7 is correct] Qc6 8. Nxh8 {perhaps 0-0?} Qxg2 {Such a beautiful attack from a young player. This move leaves white with no real chances.} 9. Bf1 Qe4+ 10. Be2 Nf3+ 11. Kf1 Bh3+ 0-1

The Most Violent Chess Game Ever Played!

chessmusings — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:00:08 +0000

This fantastic game from 1880 is perhaps the most violent chess game ever played.

[Event "Jerome Gambit"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1880.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "Joseph Henry Blackburne"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "28"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+
{Note - d4 also regains a piece and deserves attention}
 g6 7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8
Qh4 9.O-O Nf6 10.c3{Note - This is too slow as it does not stop Ng4.
 White should have tried Qd8
pinning the knight on f6.} Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+
14.gxh3 Bxe4# 0-1

notes by Chris Torres

National Chess Champions to Host Summer Chess Camp

chessmusings — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:44:33 +0000

Mission San Jose Elementary School Summer Chess Camp

Come and train with the 2009 National Champions!

June 22 – June 25, June 29 – July 2, & July 6 – July 9

^{This class is brought to you by the Torres Chess and Music Academy, a non-profit corporation.}

The Torres Chess and Music Academy, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, is pleased to be running a very special chess camp designed by nationally renowned chess instructor Chris Torres. This camp will feature instructors with decades of chess teaching experience in a format that is fun, competitive and educational. Attendees will receive the best training available and take part in USCF rated tournaments with awards given at the end of each week.

This class will meet from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Mondays through Thursdays, June 22 to July 9 at Mission San Jose ES, 43545 Bryant St. Fremont, CA 94539. The fee for this class is $170.00 for one week, $280 for two weeks, or $390 for all three weeks.

APPLY ONLINE AT CHESSANDMUSIC.COM

Name of child: _______________________________________ Grade: ____

Parents (Guardian) name(s): _____________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

City: ________________________________ California Zip: __________

Telephone: (___) _________ E-mail: _____________________________

USCF ID: ______________ Rating: _______ Date of Birth: ___/___/______

CHESS SKILL LEVEL—PLEASE CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX

1 Absolute Beginner-doesn’t even know the pieces

1 Beginner-knows the names of the pieces and that is about all

1 Intermediate Beg-knows how to play and how to castle

1 Advanced Beginner-knows how to play & even knows en passant

1 Experienced-has taken chess lessons

1 Tournament-has played more than 25 games in US Chess Federation tournaments

I AM PAYING			WE WILL BE GOING
	$170	FOR JUST ONE WEEK	(please check which weeks attending)
	$280	FOR TWO WEEKS		JUNE 22 – JUNE 25
	$390	FOR ALL THREE WEEKS		JUNE 29 – JULY 2
	$16	FOR A USCF MEMBERSHIP		JULY 6 – JULY 9

$_______ TOTAL PAID

I, hereby, as a Parent/Guardian of the child named above have read all the requirements and give my child permission to participate in the TCAMA Program held at Mission San Jose ES. I recognize that this program is under the direction of the TCAMA and is no way connected to MSJE or the Fremont Unified School District and only the TCAMA can be held legally responsible for this program.

Signature of parent or guardian: _______________________ Date: __/__/__

To apply online, or for more information on the TCAMA, please visit CHESSANDMUSIC.COM, or contact Chris Torres at (661)699-8348, or chesslessons@aol.com.

The checks should be made payable to The TCAMA Inc. The fees for the chess program are nonrefundable after the class has begun. No refunds will be given for unscheduled student absences.

Please make the checks out to TCAMA Inc. and Mail them to:

The Torres Chess and Music Academy, 1832 Walnut Grove Ct., Oakley, CA 94561

National Scholastic Chess Champions

chessmusings — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:34:41 +0000

MSJE Chess Team 2008-2009

I have received several inquiries as to why this blog has not been updated as frequently. In answer to these questions, I have responded with a seemingly lame excuse of ”devoting all my time to teaching future chess champions.” Now for the proof:

The chess players at the Mission San Jose Elementary School chess club achieved results beyond compare during the 2008-2009 school year. Winning a championship section at the Calchess State Scholastic Championships is always a result that speaks volumes about a chess program’s over-all quality. MSJE took first place in the k-3 championship section, the k-5 championship section and the k-6 championship. Since players can only compete in one team section, Mission San Jose talent was spread out rather than concentrated. As impressive as sweeping the Calchess State Championships in 2009 was, placing first in the K-6 championship section at United States Chess Federation’s National Championship is, perhaps, a more impressive feet. According to the USCF, no other school from California has ever won this title.

Congratulations to the players and their families who put forth a herculean effort. The coaching staff at MSJE includes Head Coach Joe Lonsdale, the legendary Richard Shorman, and Chris Torres (President of the Torres Chess and Music academy.)

Annotated games and MSJE player features will be added soon.

Upcoming Chess Events

chessmusings — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Dear Chess Parents,

The next two weekends contain many exciting scholastic chess events that your children will benefit from attending.

On Saturday April 25th, I will be hosting a chess tournament at Mission San Jose Elementary School, a TCAMA school in Fremont which just won the National Chess Championship in the K-6 division. This tournament will allow your children to practice for the upcoming state championships as well as compete and interact with the National Scholastic Champions. There will be a raffle at this tournament with the chance to win chess books and free lessons with TCAMA instructors.

Apply online by going to: http://fremontchess.com/onlineregistration/view?id=1

On Sunday April 26th, I will be holding a special four hour intensive chess camp in Palo Alto for TCAMA students planning on attending the State Championships. This $40 class is designed to help ensure your child is ready for the intense level of competition met with during the state championships.

Apply Online by going to: http://chessandmusic.com/applications/view?id=1

Finally, May first through third your child can compete in the Calchess State Championships. I consider this event to be the Super Bowl of Chess and recommend that all of our students attend. This is a great time to show school spirit and try for a team award as well as an individual achievement.

Apply by going to: http://www.calchessscholastics.org/

I hope to see you at these events.

Sincerely,

Chris Torres

President of the Torres Chess and Music Academy (a 501c3 nonprofit organization)

Coach for MSJE the 2009 USCF K-6 National Chess Champions

Anand-Kramnik: Game 6 from the 2008 World Championship of Chess

chessmusings — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:20:58 +0000

The championship chess board in Bonn has become a form of torture for Vladimir Kramnik. After loosing game 6, Kramnik has just six games left and is down three full points. A loosing streak against a world champion is very hard to fix. In Kramnik’s case, achieving a win against Anand must seem like a desperate dream of freedom for a convict walking the “green mile.”

Below are my comments for game 6:

[Event "Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match"]
[Site "0:52:33-0:51:33"]
[Date "2008.10.21"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]
[Round "6"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Anand"]
[Black "Kramnik"]
[ECO "E34"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "2"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Qf5 7.Qb3 Nc6 8.Bd2
O-O 9.h3 b6 10.g4 Qa5 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qd5 14.Qxd5 Nxd5
15.Bd2 Nf6 16.Rg1 Rac8 17.Bg2 Ne7 18.Bb4 c5 19.dxc5 Rfd8 20.Ne5 Bxg2
21.Rxg2 bxc5 22.Rxc5 Ne4 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Nd3 Nd5 25.Bd2 Rc2 26.Bc1 f5
27.Kd1 Rc8 28.f3 Nd6 29.Ke1 a5 30.e3 e5 31.gxf5 e4 32.fxe4 Nxe4 33.Bd2 a4
34.Nf2 Nd6 35.Rg4 Nc4 36.e4 Nf6 37.Rg3 Nxb2 38.e5 Nd5 39.f6 Kf7 40.Ne4
Nc4 41.fxg7 Kg8 42.Rd3 Ndb6 43.Bh6 Nxe5 44.Nf6+ Kf7 45.Rc3 Rxc3
46.g8=Q+ Kxf6 47.Bg7+ 1-0
3…Bb4 Kramnik employs the Nimzo-Indian again.

4. Qc2 Anand chooses the most popular reply.

9. h3 Here we go again. Another novelty from Anand. This seemingly innocent pawn move is the predecessor for a pawn thrust to g4.

10. g4 Anand takes the risky route by starting a kingside attack with the intention of castling the long way.

11. Rc1 Anand plays the best move and threatens playing a3.

11…Bb7 Kramnik avoids Anand’s double discovered threats.

15…Nf6 A preventative move stopping Anand from playing e4. However, Kramnik should have tried 15… Rfd8 16.Bg2 Na5 17.Bxa5 Nf4…

17…Ne7 Kramnik moves his knight so that it will not be pinned.

18. Bb4 Anand directs his bishop stop Kramnik from playing c5.

18…c5 Kramnik decides to play aggressively and push the pawn anyway.

20. Ne5 Anand is showing his world champion form.

21…bxc5 Kramnik not so much(see previous note.) This is an unfortunate mistake by the Russian. Better was Nc6 22.Nxc6 Rxc6 23.Rg3 Rdc8 24.Rd3 Nd5.

22. Rxc5 Anand punishes inaccuracy by profiting a pawn.

24. Nd3 Obviously Anand is not going to play 24.Bxe7 Rc1 mate!

25…Rc2 A strong move but if Anand can activate his rook he will win.

26. Bc1 Anand plans on moving his king to d1.

29. Ke1. This move is very hard to understand. Possible improvements are the natural 29.Rg1 and 29.e3 Nc4 30.Re2 Rd8.

30…e5 Kramnik missed the strategic 30…a4. Unfortunately he spots this move at the wrong time.

33…a4 This is a terrible mistake that Anand quickly punishes. Better would have been 33…Re8.

35. Rg4 Anand plays the second best move. The strongest continuation was 35.e4 Re8 36.Kf1 Nxe4 37.Bh6.

41. fxg7 Anand would have had an easier time if he had played 41.Rxg7+ Ke6 42.f7. However, all roads lead to Rome for Anand.

Kramnik is Bewildered.

Kramnik has, for all intensive purposes, lost this match. Perhaps, only now can he start playing great chess as Spassky did against Fischer once the pressure had been lifted from the Russian’s shoulders.

Anand-Kramnik: Game 5 from the 2008 World Championship of Chess

chessmusings — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:26:12 +0000

Aruna and Viswanathan Anand

Kramnik must be feeling miserable. Anand has beaten him with the black pieces once again. Now down two full points with 7 games to go, Kramnik must take considerable risks if he is to have any chance at becoming world champion again. Taking these risks could easily backfire and have the effect of causing this match to become a total blow-out. Below is game 5 of the 2008 World Chess Championship with my analysis:

[Event "Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match"]
[Site "0:12:33-0:45:33"]
[Date "2008.10.20"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Kramnik"]
[Black "Anand"]
[ECO "D49"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "2"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.O-O Qb6 14.Qe2 Bb7 15.Bxb5 Rg8 16.Bf4 Bd6 17.Bg3 f5 18.Rfc1 f4 19.Bh4 Be7 20.a4 Bxh4 21.Nxh4 Ke7 22.Ra3 Rac8 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Ra1 Qc5 25.Qg4 Qe5 26.Nf3 Qf6 27.Re1 Rc5 28.b4 Rc3 29.Nxd4 Qxd4 30.Rd1 Nf6 31.Rxd4 Nxg4 32.Rd7+ Kf6 33.Rxb7 Rc1+ 34.Bf1 Ne3 35.fxe3 fxe3 0-1

15…Rg8 This is where Anand deviates from game three. In game three Anand played 15…Bd6 and 16…Rg8. In game five he reverses the order.

17. Bg3 Had kramnik played 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Rfd1 e5 19.Rxd4 Qxd4 20.Nxd4 Bxg2 and Anand would have been able to repeat the position for a draw.

18. Rfc1 Kramnik had several interesting alternatives including my choice of 18.Nxd4 f4 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kf8 21.Qf5+.

18…f4 This is the reason why Anand played f5.

22. Ra3 Kramnik misses the critical 22.Bxd7 Kxd7 23.b4.

27. Re1 Kramnik’s other choices of Rd1 and b4 deserve a second look. 27.Nxd4 Qxd4 28.Rd1 Nf6 29.Rxd4 Nxg4 30.Rd7+ Kf8 31.Rxb7 Rc1+ 32.Bf1 does not need explanation.

29…Nxd4 Kramnik blunders and looses the game. 29.Nd2 d3 30.a5 Rс2 31.Bxd7 would have been preferable. Kramnik’s chances of winning the World Championship may have just evaporated.