Biel Chess Festival 2011 - Round 3 Analysis

By Chess Coach William Stewart. Original article with interactive PGN's available on William's site.

Magnus Carlsen Maintains Top Position

Carlsen has 2.5/3 points after today's fighting draw the ever-dangerous Alexander Morozevich. Carlsen attempted to play a Grunfeld, however had to switch gears after Moro's 4. Bg5. Carlsen emerged from the opening with a space advantage and pawn storming attack against white's king. While Morozevich is reknown for his attacking prowess, he is also an experienced and cool-headed defender. He reduced black's pressure by sacrificing a pawn with 33. d6!? and exchanged pieces while winning back the pawn on c4 (39. Rxc4). It seemed that a draw was likely as the players reached the time control at move 40, however Morozevich attempted to push forward due to his good knight vs Carlsen's bad dark-squared bishop. Carlsen defended accurately and Morozevich forced a perpetual check, ending the game in 52 moves.

Carlsen Regroups to Attack - Position after 22. ...Bf8

Shirov Explodes Caruana from Bishop’s Opening

Alexei Shirov is one of my all-time favorite players, continuing Mikhail Tal's tradition of playing creative, exciting, and above all - attacking chess. His "take no prisoners" style has backfired lately, as he has been in a slump with poor results. During this game, I was amused by Hikaru Nakamura's online commentary about Morozevich and Shirov:

"Moro is brilliant and knows how to set a fire on the board without pouring endless gasoline on his own position. Shirov on the other hand... He pours endless gasoline and eventually it all explodes". - Nakamura

Shirov, as white, opened calmly with the Bishop's Opening against Caruana - aiming for a positional middlegame instead of a sharp opening struggle. Caruana aimed to attack with 11. ...Ng5 12. ...Bg4 and 13. ...Qc8 - and Shirov welcomed the complications 16. d5 and 17. f4!? Many pieces were exchanged and the resulting position was roughly equal until Caruana jettisoned his protected past d-pawn with 31. ...d3?! Shirov quickly surrounded and won the pawn - resulting in a Q+B Vs Q+N endgame where white had an extra pawn but a scattered pawn structure. It seemed that Caruana could hold the position, however he played inaccurately and inattentively - allowing Shirov to first consolidate his position and relocate his king to the healthy queenside, then launch a decisive attack against black's kingside. Shirov finished the game with a simple tactical shot on move 63 to dispatch the young Caruana.

Shirov Vs Carlsen - Final Position After 63. Bg6+

Original article with interactive PGN's on the Biel Chess Festival available on William's site.

Photos and Game PGNS used from the Official Site

Biel LIVE with Carlsen, Vachier-Lagrave, Shirov, Morozevich, Caruana

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

Biel chess 2011 LIVE!
Live games with computer analysis

The 44th Biel Chess Festival will take place from 18th to 29th July in Biel, Switzerland. The main event is the Accentus Grandmaster Tournament which will be a six-player double round robin. Magnus Carlsen (NOR), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), Alexei Shirov (ESP), Fabiano Caruana (ITA), Alexander Morozevich (RUS) and Yannick Pelletier (SUI) will participate. Games will be live daily at 14:00 CET.

Biel LIVE with Carlsen, Vachier-Lagrave, Shirov, Morozevich, Caruana

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

Biel chess 2011 LIVE!
Live games with computer analysis

The 44th Biel Chess Festival will take place from 18th to 29th July in Biel, Switzerland. The main event is the Accentus Grandmaster Tournament which will be a six-player double round robin. Magnus Carlsen (NOR), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), Alexei Shirov (ESP), Fabiano Caruana (ITA), Alexander Morozevich (RUS) and Yannick Pelletier (SUI) will participate. Games will be live daily at 14:00 CET.

Biel 2011 with world's superstars

Official Site

Biel Main Event

1	Carlsen, Magnus	GM	NOR	2821
2	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	GM	FRA	2722
3	Shirov, Alexei	GM	ESP	2714
4	Caruana, Fabiano	GM	ITA	2711
5	Morozevich, Alexander	GM	RUS	2694
6	Pelletier, Yannick	GM	SUI	2590

Biel Masters: Registered Players

(as of July 11, 2011)

Title	Prename	Name		Elo
GM	Boris	Grachev	RUS	2680
GM	Bu	Xiangzhi	CHN	2675
GM	Tigran	Gharamian	FRA	2670
GM	Ivan	Cheparinov	BUL	2669
GM	Ni	Hua	CHN	2662
GM	Christian	Bauer	FRA	2637
GM	Maxim	Rodhstein	ISR	2637
GM	Vladimir	Baklan	UKR	2620
GM	Hrvoje	Stevic	CRO	2619
GM	Anton	Filippov	UZB	2606
GM	Ante	Brkic	CRO	2598
GM	Evgeny	Gleizerov	RUS	2590
GM	Ilya	Nyzhnyk	UKR	2589
GM	Romain	Edouard	FRA	2587
GM	Sébastien	Mazé	FRA	2578
GM	Mykhaylo	Oleksienko	UKR	2564
GM	Magesh C.	Panchanathan	IND	2556
GM	Alexander	Kovchan	UKR	2554
IM	Samuel	Shankland	USA	2539
GM	Mikhail	Ulibin	RUS	2538
GM	Sebastian	Bogner	GER	2528
GM	Normunds	Miezis	LAT	2520
GM	Ilya	Khmelniker	ISR	2510
GM	Anthony	Wirig	FRA	2510
IM	Gerlef	Meins	GER	2505

The full list of registered players

Rising stars add excitement

Rising stars add excitement to the chess scene
Friday July 8, 2011
CHESS By QUAH SENG SUN

INDIA, together with China, the Philippines and Vietnam, are considered among the great chess-playing countries in Asia, if not the world. I say this because these countries continue to produce some of the most exciting names in world chess.

For example, isn’t India’s Viswanathan Anand the world chess champion today? Wasn’t China’s Xie Jun the first Asian to become the women’s world champion? And isn’t Le Quang Liem the first Vietnamese player to break into that elite group of players with a rarified 2700+ chess rating?

In fact, there are so many other talents that have emerged from these four countries.

Wesley So from the Philippines is currently that country’s top ranked player and he is only 17; Hou Yifan from China is currently the women’s world chess champion and she is also 17; Parimarjan Negi, 18, is considered to be a chess prodigy from India. I should also add that Le Quang Liem is 20.

All very talented junior players. When we consider the likes of Norway’s Magnus Carlsen who is approaching his 21st birthday, Italian-American Fabiano Caruana who is 19 and currently the top junior player in the world, and 17-year-old Nepalese-Russian (but now Dutch) Anish Giri, we find that the world is practically littered with junior players who continue to shake up the older chess masters in today’s chess world.

Recently, the Delhi Chess Association and the Airport Authority of India joined hands to organise the AAI international grandmasters chess tournament in New Delhi, India, and they invited four of these young chess talents to participate.

Joining Caruana, So, Negi and Hou in this double round-robin tournament were two other players. One was the Czech Republic’s Viktor Laznicka, who at 23 wasn’t that much older than the four, and India’s second-best player Krishnan Sasikiran, who at 30 found himself the oldest player in the tourmanent.

The event was a romp for Caruana who justified his top seeding. He led after the third round and never allowed any of his rivals to get near enough to him. By the end of the eighth round, he was the only unbeaten player and he enjoyed a 1½-point advantage over his closest rival, Sasikiran.

More here.

Caruana reigns supreme

Fabiano Caruana reigns supreme
Rakesh Rao
NEW DELHI, July 3, 2011

Sasikiran finishes runner-up; final round matches end in draws

Italian top seed Fabiano Caruana played it safe against Filipino Wesley So to end all prospects of a ‘tie' for the title and emerged as the worthy winner of the AAI International Grandmasters chess tournament on Saturday.

For the first time in 10 rounds, all three games ended as draws that, in turn, maintained the overnight positions of the six competing Grandmasters.

Caruana, playing white, pushed the queen-pawn to start the game and with it gave an indication of being happy with a draw. “I did not try for a win today since I did not want to take risks and finish the tournament with two defeats,” said the champion.

The 30-move draw against Wesley raised Caruana's tally to seven points. Caruana, who never trailed in the competition, performed at a rating of 2800, way above his starting rating of 2714.

“I should gain about 12-13 points from this event. I played well in this tournament and converted my chances. No one wants to lose.

“And the way I lost to Laznicka was very disappointing because I blundered in a position which should have led to a draw,” said the champion who received $8,000.

No ‘tie'

Sasikiran, following his 49-move draw against Hou Yifan, finished runner-up and was richer by $6,000. Interestingly, the competition did not witness a ‘tie' for any position.

Only Sasikiran and second seed Laznicka, who collected $4,000, traded places while all other players performed as per their seeding in the event.

Sasikiran, who lost the first two rounds, bounced back brilliantly to score six points from the remaining eight rounds. But overall, Sasikiran was not too pleased. “I should have finished with a better tally. At the start, I expected to score around seven points, so finishing at six points does not feel great. But considering the bad start, I am happy with the fact that I am increasing my rating by around eight points,” said the Chennai-based ONGC officer who performed at 2731 as against his projected strength of 2676.

Third placed Laznicka, the only player to have beaten Caruana, sounded despondent even after his performance-level touched 2694 against his own rating of 2681. “I had could win two games in the second half of the tournament, instead of my victory over Caruana, I would have been happier. I performed very poorly in the second half. I just can't explain why I played so badly. I came here to perform much better.”

Parimarjan Negi, who played to his fifth seeding after drawing with Laznicka in 42 moves of Carokann, admitted to having a “bad” tournament. “In spite of getting many good positions, I did not make the most of them. There were times when I should have taken a draw against stronger players but played on and lost. Playing at this level, I should have been wiser,” said a chastened youngster.

The results: 10th round: Fabiano Caruana (Ita) drew with Wesley So (Phi) in 30 moves; Parimarjan Negi (Ind) drew with Viktor Laznicka (Cze) in 42 moves; Hou Yifan (Chn) drew with K. Sasikiran (Ind) in 49 moves.

Final standings (with points and prize-money): 1. Caruana (7 points, $8,000), 2. Sasikiran (6, $6000), 3. Laznicka (5.5, $4,000), 4. Wesley (5, $3,000), 5. Negi (3.5, $2,000), 6. Yifan (3, $1,500).

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Caruana wins AAI by a full point with 2800 performance

Final round

Caruana, Fabiano	- So, Wesley	½
Hou, Yifan	- Sasikiran, Krishnan	½
Negi, Parimarjan	- Laznicka, Viktor	½

Final standings

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2714	7	2800
2.	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2676	6	2731
3.	Laznicka, Viktor	g	CZE	2681	5½	2694
4.	So, Wesley	g	PHI	2667	5	2661
5.	Negi, Parimarjan	g	IND	2622	3½	2560
6.	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2612	3	2523

The smile back on the face of Laznicka

Caruana assured of title despite loss
Rakesh Rao
NEW DELHI, July 1, 2011

Fabiano Caruana's unbeaten run was snapped after he lost his way in his match against second seed Viktor Laznicka but by then, K. Sasikiran's draw with Parimarjan Negi had ensured the Italian the title even in case of a tie in the AAI International Grandmasters chess tournament here on Friday.

After the ninth and penultimate round, Caruana leads the table with 6.5 points, one ahead of Sasikiran.

Theoretically, a victory for Sasikiran in Saturday's final round, coupled with an unexpected defeat for Caruana against So Wesley will see a tie for the title. In such a scenario, Caruana will be declared champion since he had beaten Sasikiran 1.5-0.5 in their two-game mini-match.

As per the tournament rules, prize-money will be shared by those tied for any position.

Well-fought

The battle between Laznicka and Caruana in Kings' Indian was well-fought with the former taking far more time to play his moves. Laznicka did look better placed but with just three minutes left to play 10 moves to reach the 40-move mark before the first time-control, he needed some help from his rival. Laznicka cashed in on a blunder by Caruana on the 31st move and reeled off nine more moves in quick time to come out a deserving winner.

In fact, this result brought the smile back on the face of Laznicka who had let Caruana off the hook in the fifth round and lost the two previous rounds.

“My tournament was spoilt after I lost twice,” said Laznicka, choosing to assigning no real significance to his victory over the top seeded Italian. “I had a good first half but following the rest day (after five rounds), I was kind of tired. I played badly against Wesley. Against Sasikiran, I had a good position but blundered and lost. Today, I played well in the opening phase but then, the position became unclear. I won because Caruana committed blundered. So it was nothing special.”

When asked whether he could take some positive from the fact that he had a 1.5-0.5 score against the eventual champion, Laznicka said: “This fact means very little to me. I came here to do well in the tournament. Overall, I should have played better chess.”

Tame draw

Sasikiran missed a possible chance to put pressure on Negi but eventually settled for a tame draw.

In Anti Meran variation, Sasikiran misplayed his knight on the king's side on the 24th move and never got back another chance to press for victory.

“At this stage, with Negi's queenside pawns badly placed, I could have tried for some clear advantage. Thereafter, there was nothing really in the game,” said Sasikiran.

Wesley So and Hou Yifan battled for 47 moves in Catalan before agreeing for a draw in an ending involving pawns and a rook each.

Though Wesley had an extra pawn, the position did not offer the Filipino any chance of victory.

The results (ninth round): Viktor Laznicka (Cze, 5) bt Fabiano Caruana (Ita, 6.5) in 40 moves; K. Sasikiran (Ind, 5.5) drew with Parimarjan Negi (Ind, 3) in 48 moves; Wesley So (Phi, 4.5) drew with Hou Yifan (Chn, 2.5) 47 moves.

10th round pairings: Caruana v Wesley; Yifan v Sasikiran; Negi v Laznicka.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

In spite of 1st loss, Caruana secures at least a tie for 1st place

Fabiano Caruana suffered his first loss today. However, in spite of the loss, he still secured at least a tie for 1st place. Sasikiran is a full point behind going into the last round.

Round 9 results

So, Wesley	- Hou, Yifan	½
Laznicka, Viktor	- Caruana, Fabiano	1-0
Sasikiran, Krishnan	- Negi, Parimarjan	½

Standings after 9 rounds

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2714	6½
2.	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2676	5½
3.	Laznicka, Viktor	g	CZE	2681	5
4.	So, Wesley	g	PHI	2667	4½
5.	Negi, Parimarjan	g	IND	2622	3
6.	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2612	2½

Official website: http://www.aaichess.com

Good day for India

AAI Grandmaster Chess Tournament - Round Eight
Caruana wins again, wonderful day for Indians

New Delhi, June 30: Parimarjan Negi stopped his run of losses while Krishnan Sasikiran got back to his winning ways in what turned out to be good day for the Indian duo in the AAI Grandmasters Chess Tournament.

Negi completed a comprehensive 27-move win over Wesley So of the Philippines while Sasikiran after draws in previous two games took just 30 moves following a Queen’s Indian opening for a full point against Czech Viktor Laznicka in the eighth round on Thursday. In the third game of the day Fabiano Caruana beat Hou Yifan to extend his lead to 1.5 points with two rounds to go.

Caruana continues to be the only unbeaten player in the tournament scored his fifth win and with three other draws. With 6.5 points he is 1.5 points ahead of the second place Sasikiran, who has five points. Wesley So and Viktor Laznicka have four points each, Negi has 2.5 and Hou Yifan two.

Replay the games with computer analysis

“It was not really that easy because I took some risks today,” said Sasi. “At one point I offered a sacrifice which he need not have taken then but he did and it became a bit easier. Maybe the Kh1 (on 23rd move) from him was the mistake that helped me get to the win faster,” said Sasi, who with his 30-move win is now second place.

Parimarjan Negi and Krishnan Sasikiran

On his recent run with four wins and two draws in the last six rounds after starting with two losses, Sasikiran laughed and said, “Maybe the weather cooling down also helped me. I like playing in slightly cooler weather. There is two more games to go. As such before the tournament I was hoping to get to either plus three or plus four and I am right now plus two.” It was Sasi’s second win over Laznicka in the tournament as he had earlier beaten him in the third round.

The 17-year-old Indian National champion Negi approached the round rather cautiously but was surprised to see his rival, Wesley, play the Petroff defence, something he had played only once before against a noted opponent, Alexei Shirov, last year. “It was a big surprise to see him use the Petroff, maybe he just wanted to play solid and also surprise. I thought I wouldn’t take any chances,” said Negi.

But it was So who made the big error when he played Be7 on the 18th move and from there on the game turned decisively in Negi’s favour. It was thereafter only a matter of time as Negi won in just 27 moves. It was by far the quickest game in terms of moves and took less than three hours.

Asked is the nightmarish part of the week is over, Negi smiled and said, “I don’t know whether the nightmare is over as there are two more rounds to go, but this win was certainly welcome. There is always some pressure when you play a tournament, but I feel I have not been able to convert my chances. If you notice I have had my chances in many games, but was not able to use that.”

Negi and Sasi are both due to play Asian Team Chess in China next month and then the World Cup in Russia.

Negi, who had drawn his third round with Wesley So before his run of losses began in the fourth round, now has 2.5 points from eight games.

“It was a nice win. It is good to be 1.5 points ahead with two rounds to go, but no tournament is over till the last,” said the shy Caruana with a slight smile. He won in 46 moves from a Sicilian Najdorf.

There are two more rounds to go in the 10-round Category-17 tournament, which comes to an end on Saturday.

Points after eight rounds:
6.5 points - Caruana
5 - Sasikiran
4 - Wesley So and Laznicka
2.5 - Negi
2 - Yifan

Results of the eighth round: F Caruana beat H Yifan; Negi P beat W So; V Laznicka lost to K Sasikiran

Draw for the Ninth round: V Laznicka v F Caruana; K Sasikiran v Negi P; W So v H Yifan

Official website

Caruana leads AAI by 1.5 pt

Round 8 results

Caruana, Fabiano	- Hou, Yifan	1-0
Laznicka, Viktor	- Sasikiran, Krishnan	0-1
Negi, Parimarjan	- So, Wesley	1-0

Standings after 8 rounds

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2714	6½
2.	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2676	5
3.	So, Wesley	g	PHI	2667	4
4.	Laznicka, Viktor	g	CZE	2681	4
5.	Negi, Parimarjan	g	IND	2622	2½
6.	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2612	2

Official website: http://www.aaichess.com

Fabiano Caruana dominates at AAIGM - Round 8

By Chess Coach NM William Stewart

Original article on AAIGM Round 8 available on William's site.

Fabiano Caruana is cruising through the AAIGM Chess Tournament (2011) that is currently being held in New Delhi, India. Caruana’s win today puts him at 6.5/8 points, dominating this strong 6-GM round robin with an average FIDE rating of 2662. Caruana’s unofficial rating is now over 2730, firmly establishing him in the top 20 world rankings.

While Yifan Hou won her first game of the tournament yesterday in round 7 versus Negi, she faced a determined Caruana today. The 18 year-old Italian played extremely accurately today to realize a small technical advantage in 46 moves against the female superstar, maintaining his lead of 1.5 points going into round 9 of 10.

Caruana Crushes Hou in 46 Moves

Czech GM Viktor Laznicka was trying to keep pace with Caruana, however he hit a roadblock today in the form of local favorite Krishnan Sasikiran. Laznicka was hit by some great opening preparation as Sasikiran dynamically attacked with 18. ...g5! 19. ...d4 and 20. ...Rae8! to rip apart the white position. Sasikiran accurately converted the advantage that he generated through inspired opening preparation to achieve a well-deserved win, maintaining his 2nd place position at 5 out of 7 points.

Sasikiran Sac's an Exchange with 20. ...Rae8!

Local Indian GM Parimarjan Negi scored his second victory of the tournament today via an excellent positional grind and subsequent tactical conversion against the 17 year-old Philipine phenom Wesley So. It seemed that the position was heading towards a draw out an uneventful Petroff Defense by black, when So played a series of inaccurate moves that led to the forced weakening of his kingside defense with 22. ...f6. It still looked like So might be able to pull out the draw, however Negi was able to exploit black’s lack of coordination and space with 26. Rxa7! and 27. Ba3! - threatening 28. Bd5! to rip apart black’s last line of defense. A very fine game by Negi, ended by an explosively unexpected tactic.

Negi Slams So with 27. Ba3!

Full game .pgns are available at official site http://www.aaichess.com/

Original article on Fabiano Caruana at the AAIGM Chess Tournament available on Will's website.

Can Chess Help People with Alzheimers Disease? Maybe So!

By Chess Coach William Stewart

Original article on using chess to help people with Alzheimer's disease available on Will's site.

1.26.2011: 79 yr-old Korchnoi Beats 18 yr-old Caruana (FIDE 2720)

Nearly everyone has a close family member or friend that is afflicted by mental dementia or Alzheimer’s. Current treatment methods combine medication and behavioral approaches to reduce the effect and growth of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), however there is no complete cure. Recent research indicates that playing chess can reduce the risk of AD by up to 75% (see details below). GM Viktor Korchnoi certainly comes to mind, as he celebrated his 80th birthday this year and maintains an active FIDE rating of 2553!

Caruana Vs Korchnoi - Gibraltar 2011 - Final Position (0-1)

Research from various articles:

Alz.org states that in 2011 “There are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion... Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Based on mortality data from 2000-2008, death rates have declined for most major diseases while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 66 percent during the same period.”

Professor Verghese stated that:
“It is similar to the physical state. If you exercise and build up muscles then you become more resistant to injury and other illnesses. If you exercise your brain then you are also more resistant to the effects of dementing illnesses such as Alzheimers. If you challenge the brain you lay down new connections and promote growth of new cells in areas which are affected by Alzheimers”. The day may not be far off, according to Professor Verghese, "when doctors recommend a game of chess along with physical exercise and a healthy diet."

According to further research by Doctor Gene Cohen, the Director of the Centre for Ageing, Health and Humanities at George Washington University:

“Challenging your brain can have positive effects. The plasticity of the brain is directly related to the production of new dendrites, the branched, tree-like neural projections that carry electrical signals through the brain. Every time you challenge your brain it will actually modify the brain. We can indeed form new brain cells, despite a century of being told that it’s impossible.”

[quote] "Challenging your brain can have positive effects [on your mental health] ... [/quote]

Excerpt from chessville.com

“A report filed in 2003, in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed that chess and other brain activities, like crosswords and reading, delays the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, and other mental illnesses (ABC).

Alzheimer's Disease is a debilitating disease that affects the elderly and the families that need to care for them. Pre-senility actually begins in the 40s and 50s and progresses to dementia and total senility, or helplessness.

Alzheimer's Disease is the leading mental illness in elderly and the number of cases is expected to rise sharply in the near future as baby-boomers approach retirement age between 60 - 70 years old. The need to prevent and treat the disease is a priority for medical scientists that will be caring for these people. (MSnbc).

Symptoms include memory loss that disrupts daily life, planning and problem solving challenges, time and place confusion, difficulty completing common or routine tasks, speech difficulties, misplacing items, social withdrawl, poor judgement and emotion/mood changes (Alzheimer's Association). Brains of Alzheimer's patients have plaques and tangles, or a protein build-up between nerve cells and protein build-up inside nerve cells, respectivly (About.com). Plaques and tangles tend to develop as people age, however, patients with Alzheimer's have many more than average.

Scientists are at a loss as to what the actual cause is. About.com reports that age, family history, diet, and lifestyle factors increase the risk. Recently, Dr. Robert Friedlander, lead scientist of this report suggested television is also a risk factor among other passive brainactivities! Without a specific cause, therapy can only address the symptoms and also delay the onset.

Chess, A treatment that works!

Chess seems like a treatment that works. In fact, people over the age of 75 that partake in leisure activities that stimulate the brain were less likely to develop signs of dementia (Healthy Living). Research shows that chess affects specific areas of the brain and the stimulation will shift with the problems that a chess player faces during the game. And the game lends itself to a variety of complexities from various patterns to complex calculations that stimulate players' brains. Dr. Friedlander says that people who don't exercise their gray matter stand a chance of losing brain power when they age.

A five year study with 488 participants showed that involvement in at least 11 mind exercising activities per week versus a control group that engaged in 4 or less activities per week, delayed by 1.3 years (Dr. Charles B. Hall, PhD, author of the study and Saul R. Korep Department of Neurology professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine). A further analysis demonstrated those that played only games reduced their risk by 75% and those that played musical instruments reduced theirs by 64%. Crossword puzzle enthusiasts get a 38% lowered risk.

Scientists are still at a loss to determine the actual cause of Alzheimer's Disease but with nearly 100 million future Alzheimer's victims in development, we best start writing prescriptions for chess sets for Christmas.”

From the June 19, 2003 New England Journal of Medicine:
“Use It or Lose It — Do Effortful Mental Activities Protect against Dementia?”
Joseph T. Coyle, M.D.

Excerpt from http://adamporth.blogspot.com/

Articles quoted & exerpted from various sources cited within the article.

If you enjoyed this article, check out will's site on how chess can help people with Alzheimer's disease

Caruana widens lead, Hou scores 1st win at AAI

Round 7 results

So, Wesley	- Laznicka, Viktor	1-0
Sasikiran, Krishnan	- Caruana, Fabiano	½
Hou, Yifan	- Negi, Parimarjan	1-0

Standings after 7 rounds

1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2714	5½
2-4.	So, Wesley	g	PHI	2667	4
2-4.	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2676	4
2-4.	Laznicka, Viktor	g	CZE	2681	4
5.	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2612	2
6.	Negi, Parimarjan	g	IND	2622	1½

Official website: http://www.aaichess.com/