♂

Back to reality. The 53rd Biel International Chess Festival, one of the most prestigious Swiss classic, has been announced to be staged offline from July 18–29, 2020 in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, in compliance with all health and hygiene protocols outlined by the Federal Council. Eight players will take part in the Grandmaster Triathlon (GMT) feauring 28 games as 3 sets of round-robin: 7 classical games (100 minutes for the first 40 moves + 50 minutes for the next 20 moves + 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one), 7 rapid games with reversed colours (15 minutes + 5 seconds increment per move), and 14 two-way blitz games (3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move). Three years after the triumph of 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) in the 50th anniversary (2017), no woman will take part in it. The eight participants are (in rating order): Pentala Harikrishna, Radosław Wojtaszek, David Antón Guijarro, Michael Adams, Romain Édouard, Arkadij Mikhailovich Naiditsch, Noël Oliver Studer, and Vincent Keymer.

Starting from Three

Meanwhile, in Zürich, Switzerland it is started the 6th Zürich Chess Challenge, dedicated to the memory of Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi, died on June of last year. The eight participants are (in alphabetical order): Viswanathan Anand, Boris Abramovich Gelfand, Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi, Grigoriy Alekseevich Oparin, Yannick Pelletier, and Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler. The main sponsor Oleg Skvortsov, who yesterday played a shining exhibition game with Anand, armed himself with the presence of guests of honour such as 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (pictured above left) and FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (pictured above right), thus giving substance to his aim for moving FIDE headquarters from Athens to Zürich. Photo credit: Rustam Kalimullin.

Enjoy the Play

Oleg Skvortsov – Viswanathan Anand
6th Zürich Chess Challenge; exhibition game; Zürich, April 12, 2017
Italian Game C54

Caïssa says this year it’s up to Anand to stand up to the modern Prince of Mingrelia: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. b4 Bb6 7. e5 d5 8. exf6 dxc4 9. Qe2+. If 9. b5 then 9. ... 0-0! and now not 10. bxc6? because of 10. ... Re8+ 11. Kf1 d3 12. Be3 Qxf6 13. Qa4 Bxe3 14. fxe3 Rxe3 15. Nd2 Bh3! with an overwhelming attack, Berend – Barle, Debrecen 1992. 9. ... Be6 10. b5 Nb4!? Black, too, plays for the sake of amusement. 11. fxg7 Rg8 12. cxb4 Qf6 13. 0-0 Qxg7 14. g3 0-0-0 15. a4 d3 16. Qb2

16. ... Qxg3+!! A very spectacular Queen sacrifice, which is also the only way to evocate the deity and convince Maecenas he is playing – even if in Kieseritzky’s shoes – Anand’s Immortal Game. 17. hxg3 Rxg3+ 18. Kh2 Rxf3 19. Bg5? Here is where Skovrtsov does not dare to challenge Caïssa’s Will. In his on-line commentary, Marc Lang recommends 19. Qg7 Rh3+ 20. Kg2 Bd4 21. Qg5 f6 22. Qg7 Rh4 23. Kg3 Rh3+ 24. Kg2 Rh4 with a “salomonic repetition”, but it is obvious White could have played for much more by 23. f3! (Stockfish). 19. ... Bd4 20. Qd2 Rg8 21. Ra3. 21. Rg1 Rh3+ 22. Kg2 h6 makes no difference at all. 21. ... h6 22. Rg1 Rh3+ 23. Kg2 Rxg5+ 0 : 1. Skovrtsov resigned because of 24. Kf1 Rxg1+ 25.Kxg1 Bd5 and mate in two moves.

Oleg Skvortsov (R.) vs. Viswanathan Anand
Photo: Rustam Kalimullin

咖啡在周一

Through his lively blog, Canadian Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett gallantly offered to the young Chinese superstar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) one of his Monday coffees:

The Grand Prix in Geneva has, so far, been a serious setback for the Chinese star 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who is at present the best female player in the world (except for, arguably of course, Judit Polgár).
Yìfán stands at 50% with 3 rounds to go. It is unlikely she will finish in the top 4 places, but who really knows? Some have talked of a crisis of form. I think that might be part of the problem, but I would consider lack of motivation to be a more serious factor. She probably feels that she has nothing to prove in women’s chess anymore... people expect her to win all the time.

 

Geneva, May 15, 2013

Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich