GM Nakamura Vs. Vladimir Kramnik – Blitz Game – Dortmund 2011

By Chess Coach William Stewart



GM Hikaru Nakamura Vs GM Vladimir Kramnik - Round 4 of Dortmund 2011: Nakamura was having a rough tournament and Kramnik took full advantage of his opponent's slump in this game. Nakamura opens with d4 and Kramnik responds with the Nimzo-Indian Defense, specifically the 3 Knights Variation. Kramnik's preparation was excellent, beginning with 10. ...Na5 and 16. ...Qc4 - controlling the center while tightly coordinating his pieces. Nakamura's preparation was not nearly as thorough - he spent just over an hour on 18. Re4?! which led to an inferior position and time-trouble. Kramnik capitalized on this by playing 19. ...Bc6! - an excellent intermediate move that resulted in a great endgame for black that Kramnik was able to convert easily with his precise technical style.

Click here for the original article which includes an interactive PGN.
By Chess Coach Will Stewart (USCF 2256, FIDE 2234). Follow William on Facebook and Twitter

Live Blitz on ICC with FM Kazim Gulamali - Scheveningen Defense

In this game, Kazim Gulamali dominates his opponent by using the Scheveningen Defense. Please enjoy this great video of our blitz series. For more then 80 other free videos, please check out our YouTube Chess Channel

Why Kids Should Play Chess

Introduction by William Stewart from OnlineChessLessons.net. Article available on William's site on Why Kids Should Play Chess.

Original Article By Mary M. Alward.

Children should play chess because chess can impart valuable life skills and experiences to it’s players. There has been extensive scientific documentation that chess quantifiably improves memory, critical thinking, mathematics, and reading skills (to name a few). The earlier a child begins learning and playing chess, the greater the likelihood that he/she will excel in the aforementioned areas. The concept of plasticity of the developing cerebral cortex in children suggests that the earlier a child begins learning a skill/language/etc.. - the more natural success he/she will experience as the developing brain is very similar to an extremely effective sponge (especially in the earlier stages). A good example is that children are much better at learning languages at an early age - because their brain is naturally more receptive to encoding external stimuli into meaningful patterns. The following article by Mary Alward (with reference to original material by Chess Coach Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan) details the benefits of teaching chess to children.

Chess: Teaching the five R's to Children

One of America’s premier Grand Masters, Yasser Seirawan, believes that chess teaches kids the 5 R’s; reading, writing, arithmetic, responsibility and respect. Here are the reasons why.

Chess and Mathematics:

Each piece on a chess board has a value. Some pieces are worth more than others. If you allow your opponent to capture stronger pieces while you protect those of lesser value, it can cost you the game. Chess helps kids to calculate mentally.

Chess and Writing:

The rules of chess mandate that the players have to keep score of the game. This encourages children to write.

Chess and Reading:

Chess encourages kids to read because in order to perfect their game, they have to study chess books in order to learn rules and strategies.

Chess and Respect:

In chess, you must respect both yourself and your opponent. Each game begins and ends with a handshake. Chess is the game of Kings and there is no room for cheating or being frustrated because you lost.

Chess and Responsibility:

It is up to the player to lead his army of chess pieces to its best possible deployment. The child has to make decisions. If he allows his pieces to be captured, he may lose the game. This teaches kids to be very responsible when making decisions. This habit stays with them throughout their lives and helps them to make responsible decisions in all that they do.

When kids learn to play chess, they begin to develop mathematical skills such as algebra and geometry, critical thinking, logical thinking, decision making and problem solving. These skills will allow them to move through life prepared to deal with the unexpected and to take control in all situations and make intelligent choices. Dr. Peter Daubergne of the University of Sydney in Australia conducted a study on children who play chess. He concluded that these kids had raised their IQ’s significantly in the following areas.

• The kids learned how to make very tough decisions without the help of an adult.
• Their skills in creative, critical and original thinking were finely honed.
• Reading, language, mathematics and memory were greatly enhanced.
• Problem solving skills were substantially strengthened.
• They were able to make accurate and quick decisions under time pressure, which helped them bring up their exam marks.
• They learned the importance of flexible planning and that once decisions were made there was consequences to be reckoned with.
• Chess challenged gifted children and helped underachievers learn how to study and strive to put forth their best effort.
• Chess helps children of all social and economic backgrounds.

Chess in the Schools

European and Russian schools have included chess in their educational curriculum for years. Today, it is also included in the curriculum of many Canadian schools. Kids are attracted to chess and it teaches them many important life skills.

Chess appeals to the competitive nature of children. In chess, unlike team sports, the child takes full responsibility for their losses. He is taught that he only has himself to blame. On the other hand when they win, it is their victory and theirs alone. They learn that they’ve won because they’ve put more effort into studying and learning the strategies of the game. They were the one who out-thought their opponent and maneuvered their opponent. Victory is sweet.

Children who take up chess love the game deeply. Once they learn to make logical choices, hard decisions and plan intricate strategies, the lessons stay with them for life. Emotional children learn to take losses and continue to return to play time and again. Over-achievers learn that they won’t always be the best at everything they do, because there’s always someone who can beat you. Kids who lack confidence and have never won anything in their lives win at chess.

Chess has been called the Game of Kings and the King of Games. It is beneficial to both adults and children. It teaches life skills that will help them excel in life and give their best in all they do. Enroll your child in a chess club where they will have an excellent coach, or contact a chess master about teaching your child to play the Game of Kings.

Original Article By Mary M. Alward.

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Interview with Chess Prodigy GM Anish Giri

By Chess Tutor William Stewart. Original article available here. This is an exclusive interview from OnlineChessLessons.NET

After we noticed that GM Anish Giri was reposting many of our tournament analyses on his website, we caught up with him and asked him if he'd be kind enough to do a short 20 minute interview with us. In this chess interview Anish Giri talk's about everything ranging from recent chess cheating scandals, strategies towards improving your FIDE and more! This is our first of many "How to be a Grandmaster Series" Videos.

Ningbo - World Team Chess Championship 2011 - Final Round

By Chess Coach William Stewart. Original article on the 2011 World Team Chess Championship available on William's site, which includes interactive PGN's!

Armenia Scores Gold Medal

An undefeated Armenian team secured the gold medal today at the 2011 World Team Chess Championship in Ningbo, China by drawing on all 4 boards with a strong Ukrainian team. A determined Chinese team won the last 4 rounds to challenge Armenia for the top spot, including a tough 2.5-1.5 victory over a strong Hungarian team, however they fell short by a half point and achieved clear 2nd place honors. Ukraine played a great team tournament and earned clear 3rd place. Although the Russian team boasted the highest average FIDE rating at 2752, they failed to play as a cohesive team and disappointed expectations even further with a heartbreaking 1.5-2.5 last round loss to an out-of-sorts Indian team. The US team would have benefited greatly from the presence of Hikaru Nakamura (FIDE 2770), however Nakamura was unable to attend as he is playing the ongoing super-tournament in Dortmund. Gata Kamsky played great chess on board 1 to help the USA rebound from a tough start to respectably finish in 6th place. The individual board gold medals were won by Wang Hao (Board 1, China), Wang Yue (Board 2, China), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Board 3, Russia), and Alexander Areshchenko (Board 4, Ukraine). The 2011 World Team Chess Championship was a fantastically strong event (Average FIDE of 2685!) that featured some exceptionally creative, attacking chess.

Robert Hess Lifts US Chess

19 year old Robert Hess won a double-edged last round game against Evgeny Postny to propel the US to a 2.5-1.5 victory against Israel. The game evolved from a Caro-Kann (Classical Variation) involving the currently topical 6. N1e2 and 7. Nf4 - attempting to challenge black's light-squared bishop with creative piece play and the h-pawn push. The game became complicated after opposite-side castling on move 17, and Hess attempted to directly push his attack through with 27. d5!? Hess achieved a decisive advantage after temporarily sacrificing a piece with 28. dxe6! - resulting in the win of a pawn but more importantly control of the center and a dangerous attack against black's king. After a few more accurate moves, Postny resigned after 36. a5 due to his lack of activity and counterplay.

Hess Vs Postny - Position after 28. dxe6!

Wang Yue Displays Gold Medal Technique

Wang Yue played some great chess on board 2 for China, and the last round was no exception. His 53-move positional massacre over Zoltan Almasi (2726) featured thorough preparation backed by accurate technical execution. Wang Yue played the white side of the English (Neo-Catalan, Accepted Variation) and speculatively sacrificed a pawn with 16. Nc3!? to achieve long-term positional pressure on black's weak queenside pawns. Wang Yue played the middlegame and endgame flawlessly, as the 24 year-old displayed the technique of an experienced veteran to avoid permitting Almasi the slightest counterplay. Almasi resigned in a hopeless position after 53. Kf3

Wang Yue Vs Almasi - Position after 16. Nc3!?

More Information Available at the Official Site

BugHouse Series - Video #4 with FM Gulamali and NM Stewart

By Chess Coach Will Stewart.



This is our FOURTH of many live bughouse videos we'll be releasing. Bughouse is controversial amongst the chess community but like all things, a little bit of moderation is key, and I don't think it hurts your chess game. More importantly I think bughouse introduces kids and beginners into chess, teaches you about positional play and teamwork as well. I'm releasing these videos for fun and hope you all enjoy them. My friend Kazim Gulamali is one of the best bughouse players in the world so I hope you enjoy. Dual Commentary by NM Will Stewart, FM Kazim Gulamali

What is bughouse chess? I wrote a great article about bughouse chess here

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Computer Chess Cheating: Rybka’s Vasik Rajlich Interview

By Chess Tutor William Stewart

Original Article on Chess Cheating available here.

The International Computer Games Association (ICGA) released a public statement on June 28, 2011 declaring the ultra-strong computer chess program Rybka guilty of plagiarism, specifically alleging that the author/programmer Vasik Rajlich plagiarized two other strong computer chess programs (Fruit and Crafty) while designing the code for Rybka. Rybka has been the undisputed Computer Chess World Champion for the period 2007-2010, however it is extremely unlikely the program will compete in the November 2011 Championship.

Vasik Rajlich

Vasik Rajlich has elected not to directly respond to the ICGA's public accusations, preferring to be interviewed by Nelson Hernandez. Rajlich is an MIT Graduate and an International Chess Master, not to mention one of the best computer chess programmers in the world. What Rajlich doesn't get enough credit for is his ability to dodge questions and provide meaningless / irrelevant answers better than Johnny Cochrane on his best day in court. In his defense, he does make a few good points.

The ICGA stated that they had attempted to contact Rajlich multiple times and were ignored - leading them to publicly accuse and condemn Rajlich and Rybka. When asked why Rajlich has declined to respond directly to the ICGA, at 12:30 he demanded that "the investigation be conducted in a fair and proper manner". This is certainly a legitimate request, however it appears the ICGA was frustrated that Rajlich had declined to cooperate from the beginning.

Rajlich Explains His Side

Essentially, Rajlich feels that the existing rules are sufficiently vague for general misinterpretation and enforcement. Also, any objections to his programming should have been raised a long time ago because he has been publicly doing the same thing under the same rules for years. At 14:15 Rajlich claims that the ICGA rules are vague/ambiguous, specifically the wording in rule 2 with respect to the scope of the word "original" in computer programming. Rajlich believes that the ICGA's case is incapable of presenting evidence that is quantifiable, as computer chess programmers frequently copy codes from public domains to employ in programs. He claims that this "... could have led to an overlap between Crafty, Fruit and Rybka - Which is perfectly legal and normal". ICGA rules do permit copying of programming code, as long as it is credited and/or unrelated to playing strength. It would be nice to see Rajlich and the ICGA work this out transparently to avoid any misrepresentation of the facts, however this is unlikely. At 21:10 Hernandez asks "What would it take for you and the ICGA to be back in good graces?" - greeted by:

"I guess the resignation of everyone currently there". - Vasik Rajlich

So What Happens Next?

Rajlich has declined to comment in detail, however implied that his current business relationships continue in good standing (notably with ChessBase). He stated his sales "were up 400% last week", and joked that maybe he should do this type of thing more often. The ICGA is intending to report the issue to legal authorities and other associations with the intention of proving that Rajlich plagiarized source code to develop, improve and profit from Rybka.

Original Article on Chess Cheating available here. Follow William on Facebook and Twitter.

Chess Video - Gata Kamsky Vs Magnus Carlsen - 2005 FIDE World Cup

By Chess Coach Will Stewart (USCF 2256, FIDE 2234)



Gata Kamsky Vs Magnus Carlsen: 2005 FIDE World Cup -- Kamsky opens with e4 and then up and coming prodigy Carlsen answers with c5, proceeding to take the opening into the dangerous Chelyabinsk Variation of the Sveshnikov Sicilian with 10. ...Bxf6. Kamsky plays the opening with great energy and begins to achieve a significant advantage with 16. Bb5! -- leading to excellent control over black's queenside. Carlsen played too defensively and without enough activity by 20. ...Bd8?! -- allowing white to really dictate the course of the game. 20. ...Kh8 and 21. ...f5 would have given black better chances. After an accurate series of pressing moves beginning with 24. Qa3! -- Kamsky was able to achieve a deserved win with 31. b6!

Original Article on Kamsky Vs. Carlsen available on William's site with a PGN.

Permission to use the ICC interface was generously granted by the Internet Chess Club. Check them out at http://www.chessclub.com

World Team Chess Championship - Round 5

By Chess Tutor William Stewart. Original article with PGN available here.

Armenia had a crucial win against China today (2.5-1.5), Russia beat Egypt as expected (3-1), Hungary crushed Israel (3.5-.5) to continue chasing the lead, and the USA bounced back with a solid win against a strong Indian team (3-1). Armenia currently leads the tournament at the halfway point with Russia, Hungary, and Ukraine trailing closely. Side note - July 22nd is a rest day.

Peter Leko Has Still Got It

Leko set the tone for Hungary today with a devastating victory over Israel's Michael Roiz with a sharp piece of preparation as white in the Advanced Variation of the Caro-Kann, employing a topical variation involving the off-beat 8. Na3!? In this variation, white aims to rapidly undermine and open black's center to take advantage of black's lack of development. Leko declared aggressive intentions with 12. b4! and 13. c5, seizing critical central squares and shutting out black's dark-squared bishop. Leko followed by winning black's isolated d-pawn through a series of tactics based on a pin against black's queen. He emerged from the opening down a pawn, but with excellent compensation in the form of superior development, excellent coordination, and control of the b and d files. Roiz resigned in severe time pressure and down a pawn in a clearly lost position.

Leko Vs Roiz - Final Position After 30. Qd4

Grischuk Wins Quick Vs Egypt

Grischuk played aggressively today and was rewarded accordingly with a quick win over Egypt's Ahmed Adly. Grischuk played the Modern Benoni with the black pieces, as Adly created complications with a thematic pawn sacrifice - 20. e5!? - opening up the critical e4 square for white's pieces and creating good chances for an attack against black's king. Grischuk responded by giving the pawn with 21. ...c4! - while Adly's response 22. Qxc4?! allowed black to build a monster pawn center with 22. gxf5. A better move for white could have been to maintain the tension in the center with the simple 22. Qc2. More complications ensued and Grischuk was able to find a winning tactic starting with 25. ...e4! and 26. ...f4! - capitalizing on white's lack of coordination and loose knight on e7, leading to black winning a piece and the game.

Adly Vs Grischuk - Position after 21. ...c4!

By Chess Tutor William Stewart. Original article with PGN available here. Check out the World Team Championship's  Official Site 

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

World Team Chess Championship - Round 4

By Chess Coach William Stewart

Original article along with with interactive PGN's on Round 4 of the World Team Chess Championship available on William's site.

Azerbaijan Beats Russia Convincingly

Grischuk's opening preparation was clearly insufficient as he emerged from the opening down a pawn and in a clearly worse position on the black side of Ruy Lopez. Gashimov continued to actively press, won another pawn, and forced Grischuk's resignation on move 39. Guseinov ensured his team's success with a solid tactical win over Svidler on board 4. Svidler chose an interesting variation of the Sicilian Kan, similar to a Hedgehog formation - however he was unable to achieve any counterplay on the queenside and Guseinov was essentially left a free hand to force through in the center. Svidler's passivity and lack of coordination allowed Guseinov to spectacularly break the black position open with 26. f5!? and 28. Nf5! - leading to a decisive win of material for white.

Guseinov Vs Svidler - Position after 28. Nf5!

Hungary Topples Strong Ukrainian Team

Peter Leko made the difference with the black pieces against Vassily Ivanchuk on board 1 today, as every other game was drawn. Ivanchuk is viable to play any opening, making it extremely difficult for opponents to prepare against him. However, a downside is that sometimes he doesn't know his own opening thoroughly enough. This seemed to happen today, as Leko rapidly achieved a crushing position with the Marshall Attack against Ivanchuk's Ruy Lopez. The idea of sacrificing a piece with 18. ...f4! was not new to Leko as he played very quickly at this point - however Ivanchuk was not prepared and spent 62 minutes on moves 18, 19, and 20. Not only did this hurt the Ukranian #1 on the clock, it landed him in an extremely difficult position due to the complicated imbalances of material and coordination. Ivanchuk tried to put up a defense, however Leko had more than ample time to accurately find and execute the win.

Ivanchuk Vs Leko - Position after 18. ...f4!

Original article along with with interactive PGN's on Round 4 of the World Team Chess Championship available on William's site. Game PGNs and Results at the Official Site

Biel Chess Festival 2011 – Rounds 1 and 2

By Chess Coach William Stewart.

Original article on the Chess Festival in Biel available on William's website.

The 44th Biel International Chess Festival is taking July 18-29 in Biel, Switzerland. This 10 round, Double Round Robin super-tournament features many of the world's best players - boasting an average FIDE Rating of 2708. The highest rated player in world - Magnus Carlsen - is dominating with 2/2, while the experienced Morozevich chases with 1.5/2. The organizers have chosen to use a different scoring system to entice more combative chess, so a Win = 3 Points, a Draw = 1 Point, a Loss = 0.

Carlsen Lives Up To The Hype... Again

Magnus Carlsen began with a quality 88 move grind over local Swiss favorite Yannick Pelletier. Pelletier allowed Carlsen to snatch a pawn with 11. ...Bxc3!? - with the intention of gaining time and development to attack black in the center. Carlsen's thorough preparation allowed him to play the opening rapidly and emerge into a Q+R endgame with an extra pawn by move 30. Carlsen patiently nursed this pawn to victory over the next 58 moves and won his first round game in convincing fashion.

Pelletier Vs Carlsen - Final Position After 88. Qd2

Round 2: Carlsen + Time-Trouble Take Out Shirov

Carlsen played d4 and Shirov's response came as no surprise as he played the active Meran Defense. Carlsen's early 13. Nd4!? provoked a slower response from Shirov, beginning his time-trouble issues with 16 minutes spent on 13. ...e5. Carlsen's strange and rapid play began to immediately affect Shirov, as he spent a costly 43 minutes on 16. ...Bc5. Carlsen played extremely quickly and strove to create maximum tension and complications to take advantage of Shirov's lack of time. By move 27, the dust was settling: white had an extra protected past pawn and definite attacking possibilities against black's king that was stuck in the center. Shirov attempted to defend, however his lack of time combined with Carlsen's rapid and resourceful attack led to black's resignation after a tactical oversight.

Carlsen Vs Shirov - Final Position After 33. Rxd8+!

Morozevich With Good Defensive Win

At 34 years old Alexander Morozevich has been one of the best chess players in the world for over a decade. His results have seen him in a slump as he dropped under 2700 recently, however his calm defensive win against Vachier-Lagrave today proved that he can certainly still play with the best in the world. I found it very interesting that the Russian chose to play the Grunfeld, as Lagrave has scored a number of impressive wins lately with that opening as black. Morozevich was unafraid of the young frenchman's preparation, and chose a topical line involving a potential pawn sac on c5 to gain the initiative with activity for the black pieces. Lagrave did not take the pawn, but chose instead to attack the black king. Morozevich played too indecisively with 15. Qd7 and 16. Qe6?! - allowing Lagrave to attack with tempo on 17. f5! and 19. d5. Morozevich stayed calm as Lagrave desperately sacrificed a knight with 28. Ng5+, white's attack fizzled out and Lagrave was forced to resign after 41 moves.

Lagrave Desperately Sacrifices With 28. Ng5+

Magnus Carlsen Maintains Top Position

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

[Event "44th Biel Tornament 2011"]

[Site "Biel, Switzerland"]

[Date "2011.07.20"]

[Round "3"]

[White "GM Morozevich"]

[Black "GM Carlsen"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteElo "2694"]

[BlackElo "2821"]

[Opening "Grunfeld: Stockholm variation"]

[ECO "D80"]

[NIC "GI.03"]

[Time "07:40:38"]

[TimeControl "7200+0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Nxe4 dxe4 6. Qd2 Bg7 7. e3 c5 8.

d5 Nd7 9. Ne2 Ne5 10. Nc3 f5 11. Be2 Nf7 12. Bh4 O-O 13. f3 exf3 14. gxf3

Qd6 15. Bg3 e5 16. O-O-O Bd7 17. Kb1 a6 18. e4 f4 19. Bf2 Rab8 20. h4 b5 21.

Rc1 Rfc8 22. Ka1 Bf8 23. Nd1 a5 24. cxb5 Bxb5 25. Bxb5 Rxb5 26. Nc3 Rb4 27.

Rc2 c4 28. Rhc1 a4 29. a3 Rb3 30. Qe2 Qa6 31. Nb1 Nd6 32. Nd2 Nb5 33. d6

Nxd6 34. Qf1 Rb7 35. Qh3 Re8 36. h5 g5 37. Bc5 Rc7 38. Bxd6 Qxd6 39. Rxc4

Rxc4 40. Nxc4 Qe6 41. Qg2 Be7 42. Nd2 Kg7 43. Nb1 Kh6 44. Rc7 Rc8 45. Rxc8

Qxc8 46. Qg4 Qc4 47. Qf5 Bc5 48. Qxe5 Bd4 49. Qd6+ Kxh5 50. Qd7 Kg6 51. Qf5+

Kh6 52. Qh3+ Kg7 {Game drawn} 1/2-1/2

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+

Photos and Game PGNS are available at the Official Site

World Team Chess Championship - Round 3

By Chess Tutor William Stewart

US Team Dominates Egypt 3½ - ½

As black, Kamsky drew Adly in an opposite color bishop ending. The rest of the US team was a different story, as Onischuk's solid opening preparation and methodical pressure took out Amin in 34 moves. Gindy persistently attempted to achieve a draw against Seirawan, however Seirawan failed to oblige by maintaining and building consistent pressure. Patient maneuvering and excellent technique enabled to Seirawan to win as black in 66 moves. A determined Hess was able to dispatch IM Shoker's Double-Fianchetto opening, first sacrificing a pawn with 13. e5!? and then trading his queen for a rook and bishop with 23. Bxe4!? Hess's creativity and accurate technique enabled him to win a nice R+B vs Q endgame.

Hess Vs Shoker: Final Position After 49. Ra8

Heavyweight Battle - Aronian (2808) Beats Karjakin (2782)

After losing a long game to a determined Kamsky yesterday, Aronian put a similarly patient grind on Karjakin in exceptional technical style. Aronian took advantage of an inaccurate move order by Karjakin to win a pawn with 17. Nxc6 - leading to a Q+R+R endgame with an extra isolated d-pawn for white. Aronian then equaled the material by sacrificing a pawn back to Karjakin, with the intention of activating white's queen and pushing the d-pawn farther up. It's possible that Karjakin was already lost, however I disliked 43. ...f6 as it led to a chronic weakening of black's king and kingside pawns. Either way, Aronian played with extreme technical precision to nurse this point home.

Aronian Vs Karjakin - Final Position After 74. Qg6+

Svidler Saves Draw for Russians With Win Over Sargissian

Russian was on the verge of defeat against the Armenian team after Aronian's win over Karjakin, however Svidler was able to complicate matters in a fairly calm position to confuse and overcome Sargissian. Svidler opened with a Ruy Lopez and proceeded with a game of patient maneuvering to obtain the small advantage of the two bishops with 19. Nf5 and 20. Nxe7. The position appeared relatively level when Svidler began an unusual series of moves beginning with 27. Qxa4!? - allowing him to consolidate his queenside pawns and maintain pressure against black's weakness of a6. Running low on time, Sargissian miscalculated the resulting double rook endgame and allowed white to favorably simplify the positions via the tactical sequence beginning with 31. Nxa6! Svidler was able to forcefully seize the initiative and double his rooks on the 7th rank - leading to disaster for black. White's activity proved too much, and Sargissian resigned in the face of impending mate (50. ...Kg8 51. Rbg7+ Kf8 52. h6 and 53. Rh8#)

Svidler Vs Sargissian - Final Position After 50. Rh7

Photos and Game PGNs Available at the Official Site. Original article on the World Team Chess Championship available on William's website.

Live Blitz on ICC with William Stewart - Nimzo Indian

In this live ICC blitz game William uses the Nimzo Indian open and manages to win after being down in time trouble, just in the neck of time.

By Chess Coach Will Stewart. For the chess video along with the interactive PGN, please visit William's site.

World Chess Team Championship: Round 2

Artwork by Mike Magnan

Analysis By Chess Coach William Stewart

US Team Has Fighting 2-2 Draw with Armenia

Gata Kamsky pulled off an accurate 80 move grind to beat the #3 rated player in the world Levon Aronian. As white, Kamsky played the Ruy Lopez and achieved lasting pressure against the black king. Aronian sacrificed an exchange with 35. Rxf5 to complicate the position, however Kamsky pragmatically returned the exchange a few moves later with 38. Rxf3!? and 39. Rg3 - forcing a queen and pawns endgame with an extra pawn for white. After patient maneuvering to consolidate his position, Kamsky proceeded to march his king and pawns down the board to force Aronian’s resignation.

Kamsky Grinds Aronian w/ 80. Ka5

Azerbaijain Beats India 3-1

Radjabov played creatively to achieve a decisive attack against Ganguly, started with a creative rook lift by 22. Ra3. Radjabov maneuvered patiently to gain space and deprive the black pieces of worthwhile squares. Harikrishna played too slowly and did not try hard enough to achieve sufficient activity. As a result, Radjabov was able to initiate a series of 8 consecutive forcing moves (starting with 31. f6!) to open up black's king position and end the game with a decisive attack. This game is a great example of how to convert a space advantage into a winning attack.

Radjabov Pummels Harikrishna with 38. Qh8+

Opening Preparation Pays Off

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov scored a quick 27-move victory over Ganguly from the white side of a Classical Nimzo-Indian. Shak played the opening extremely aggressively, and by the quickness of his play it seems it had been analyzed thoroughly in home preparation. He sacrificed a pawn with 19. Bg5!? to redirect his minor pieces to attack black's king and gain tempi for regrouping his rooks due to the exposed position of black's queen. Ganguly missed Shak's tactical ideas and blundered an exchange in his over-eager efforts to trade queens with 23. Qe2? Mamedyarov attentively played 25. Be7! - leading to a decisive win of material (if black responds with 25. ...Rfe8 then 26. Nf6+! gxf6 27. Rg4+ Kh8 28. Bxf6#) A very clean win by Mamedyarov, undoubtedly due to thorough preparation by the Azerbaijani team.

Mamedyarov Uncorks 25. Be7! to Beat Ganguly

Full Game PGNs are Available at the Official Site. Original article on the World Chess Team Championship available here.

Hangzhou Women Grand Master Chess Tournament 2011

Special Article for WGM Natalia Pogonina written by Chess Tutor William Stewart

The 1st Hangzhou Women Grand Master Chess Tournament is at the halfway point, taking place July 14th - 23th 2011 in Hangzhou, China. It is a classical time control featuring top female players from around the world, featuring an average FIDE rating of 2525.

Standings After 4 Rounds

Ju Wenjun Dominates 1st 4 Rounds

Ju Wenjun leads the tournament by a full point at 3.5/4, winning her games with some extremely aggressive chess. She attempted to press in Round 1 against Tatiana Kosintseva, playing the black side of a Najdorf with the Anti-Be3 line involving 6. ...Ng4, 7. ...h6 and 8. ...g5 - however Kosintseva responded solidly and the game was drawn in an equal endgame on move 40.

T. Kosintseva Vs Wenjun: Final Position

Round 2 - Dzagnidze Vs Wenjun

Dzagnidze opened with white and Wenjun responded with the King's Indian Defense. White played the opening completely without ambition and allowed black to easily achieve equality. Then, Dzagnidze blundered with 33. e4?? - allowing her opponent to win 3 pawns after the dust had settled - leading to her resignation on move 45.

Dzagnidze Vs Wenjun: Position After 34. ...Nxd4

Round 3 - Wenjun Crushes US Women Champ Zatonskih

It appeared the Zatonskih's preparation was solid as she blasted the complicated 11. ...b5!? - however Wenjun played with precision to reach a favorable pawn-up endgame. Zatonskih's defense was not active enough as Wenjun went on win in 41 moves with accurate technique.

Zatonskih Creates Complications with 11. ...b5!?

Round 4 - Zhao Xue Falls to Wenjun in a Tactical Slugfest

Zhao Xue opened with d4 and again Wenjun played the King's Indian Defense. Wenjun was able to rapidly equalize and achieved a small advantage with 15. ...Ne6 White declined trading queens to enter an inferior endgame with 28. Qa5?! - allowing a Wenjun to infiltrate the white king's position with 28. ...Qf1+ After a few inaccurate moves by Xue, Wenjun was able to land a decisive tactical blow with 32. ...Nf3+!

Xue Vs Wenjun: Position After 32. ...Nf3+!

Brilliancy Prize - Most Spectacular Game

The youngest ever Women's World Champion Yifan Hou is not going to be forgotten in a tournament like this, as she currently shares 2nd place at 2.5/4 with N. Kosintseva. The brilliancy prize for the tournament so far must go to Hou's 1st Round victory over Sebag. Hou opened with the normally tame Rossolimo Opening with 5. Bb5, however opposite side castling made the game much more interesting as each player fought to attack the opponent's king. Perhaps playing in the center and trying to push for ...d5 would have been a better choice for Sebag, as her queenside attack simply proved to be too slow. Hou rapidly forced through on black's kingside with 20. f6 and 21. g6! The resulting complications led Hou to sacrifice her queen for a pawn with 30. Qxh6+! to corral black's king. Sebag resigned after 32. f8=Q+ as she would be mated the next move with 33. Rh8#

Hou Sacs Queen to Mate with 30. Qxh6+!

Photos and Game PGNs are available at ChessBase.com For the Original Article on the Women Grand Master Chess Tournament, please visit William's website

World Chess Team Championship 2011 - Round 1

By Chess Coach William Stewart

Original article on the World Chess Team Championship available on William's site.

The World Chess Team Championship kicked off with an interesting Round 1. Here is my brief summary of the most interesting games.

Kamsky draw Karjakin, Shulman draws Svidler

As white, Kamsky drew Karjakin in a tame version of the Bishop's Opening in 23 moves. Shulman tried to achieve pressure against Svidler by sacrificing a pawn from the white side of a Grunfeld, however Svidler's preparation was solid as he sacrificed an exchange to ensure the draw.

Shulman Vs Svidler - After 19. h3!?

Egypt's IM Samy Shoker scores major upset against Ukrainian GM Areshchenko

IM Samy Shoker of Egypt was able to score an excellent 200+ point upset as black against Ukrainian GM Alexander Areshchenko, neglecting to castle in the Pirc Defense to opt for a direct queenside attack against the white king. Areshchenko was unable to achieve counterplay and resigned in 28 moves.

Areshchenko Resigned After 28. ...Qa3

Armenia crushes Israel 3.5/0.5!

Vladimir Akopian (2667) contributed to Armenia's 3.5-.5 crushing victory over the Israeli team by beating Evgeny Postny (2618), fantastically demonstrating the idea of "transformation of advantages" by winning an exchange due to superior opening preparation and then returning the exchange to win a pawn and force a technically won endgame.

Akopian Sacs the Exchange Back w/ 42. Rd5!

Hungary and India drew 2-2, Judit Polgar defeats GM Ganguly

Hungary and India drew 2-2, as Judit Polgar (2699) scored a fine prophylactic victory over Shekhar Ganguly (2627). A well-played opening left Polgar with long-term pressure on the half-open b-file, allowing her to tie up white's pieces in defense of the b3 pawn while black maneuvered to open the center and attack the white king. This game was a great example of patiently maintaining and raising the pressure on one side of the board to deflect the opponent from defending another weakness.

Polgar Wins with 60.d2!

Game PGN's are available at the official World Chess Team Championship Site

Original article on the World Chess Team Championship along with other articles on the championship available on William's website.