NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN UNION

EUROPEAN OPEN LIECHTENSTEIN ECU CALENDAR INDIVIDUAL RUSSIAN CHESS OPEN FOR 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP CUP TRIESEN 2015 JERUSALEM 2015 MOSCOW 2015

EUROPEAN CHESS UNION NEWSLETTER

MAGNUS CARLSEN WINS TATA STEEL CHESS 2015

WEI YI WINNER OF TATA STEEL CHALLENGERS

1 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

The 77th edition of Tata Steel 2015 ended with a very exciting final round. After a strange draw with GM Ivan Saric, Carlsen won the tournament alone with 9 points out of 13. GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), (NED), (USA) and (CHN) tied for the second place with 8.5 points.

Final standings of Tata Steel Masters

A 15-year old Chinese became the winner of the Tata Steel Challengers group and will play the Tata Steel Masters 2016. He drew with GM Salem Saleh in the last round and triumphed with 10.5 out of 13, with rating performance 2801! Second place went to Czech No. 1 GM with only half a point behind Wei, and became clear third with 9 points.

Tata Steel Challengers Final Ranking

Final Conference

Both events were played as Round Robin tournaments in 13 rounds. The time control was 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the remaining moves + 30 seconds increment per move starting from move one.

The 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament took place from 9 - 25 January, 2015 in its traditional location of Wijk aan Zee/Netherlands.

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is one of the most important events in the chess calendar. The tournament brings together the world's leading chess players and the most passionate amateurs with its grandmaster groups and amateur events.

Official Website

Photos by Alina l’Ami

Below we present a nice victory of the World Champion against .

2 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

Caruana, Fabiano (2820) vs. Carlsen, Magnus (2862)

Tata Steel Masters | Round 6 | 16 Jan 2015 | 0-1

Diagram 1 Diagram 2

Caruana is a pawn up in this position, but Carlsen has initiative on the King’s side. White’s last move was the imprecise 21. Nh2, which the World Champion used to push the f-pawn and make chances for win.

21… f3! 22. Nxg4 Qg6 23. Qe7 (the only move) fxg2! 24. Rfb1 Qxg4 25. Qg5! So far Caruana is defending very well and finding the only moves to hold the position.

25… Qe2 26. Qe3 Qg4 27. Qg5 Qxg5! Carlsen decides to change the Queens but this doesn’t mean Black’s attacking potential is gone!

28. Bxg5 Nf4 29. Bxf4 exf4 30. Kxg2 f3+ 31. Kf1

(Diagram 2)

31... Rf4!! Brilliant move by Carlsen. He decides not to take the exchange, but to save the strong Bishop and continue with the attack and the pressure on the White’s King.

32. c3 Rd8 33. d4 Bh6 34. Ke1 Rxe4+ 35. Kd1 c5 36. Kc2 cxd4 37. Kd3 Re2 38. c4 Rxf2 39. Rd1 Re2 0-1

3 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

Traditional European Chess Tournaments

Moscow Open 2015

The 2015 Moscow Open – 11th International RSSU Chess Cup, one of the biggest chess tournaments started. The festival takes place in Moscow, from 29th January to 9th February, 2015.

The tournament consists of 8 events, including Amateur, Veteran, Students, School and Chess Composition tournaments. The main events are Men's and Women's Cup of Russia Stage, gathering some of the top chess players.

The 11th edition is marked by a new record in number of participants - 1735 players from 25 countries in total!

The top seeds in the Open tournament are GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian 2714, GM Lysyj, Igor 2700, GM Alekseev, Evgeny 2679, GM Sjugirov, Sanan 2678, GM Inarkiev, Ernesto 2675, GM Grachev, Boris 2670, GM Fedoseev, Vladimir 2668, GM Artemiev, Vladislav 2659, etc, and in Women WGM Goryachkina, Aleksandra 2451, IM Batsiashvili, Nino 2450, WGM Kovanova, Baira 2405, IM Bodnaruk, Anastasia 2402, WGM Guseva, Marina 2375, WGM Charochkina, Daria 2370, etc.

The Children’s Tournament was officially opened on 30th January, on the same day of the 78th birthday of the legendary Grandmaster Boris Spassky, the 10th World Chess Champion.

4 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

RSSU Rector, Doctor of Economics, Mrs. Natalia Pochinok, Prefect of the North-Eastern Administrative District of Moscow, Mr. Valeri Vinogradov, ECU Secretary General Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou and the Tournament Director Mr. Alexander Kostyev were present at the opening ceremony and welcomed the participants.

The children’s tournament started one day earlier, while the Grand opening of the main tournament of the International Chess Cup RSSU Moscow Open 2015 was held on January 31st at 3.00 pm.

After a very rich cultural and music program, the organizers and the honoured guests – the first deputy head of the Department of Physical Education and Sport in Moscow, Mr. Nikolai Gulyaev, the 12th World Chess Champion, Grandmaster , Secretary General of the European Chess Union, Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, the first vice-president of the Moscow Chess Federation Mr. Nikita Kim and RSSU Rector, Mrs. Natalia Pochinok, greeted the players.

The ECU Secretary General Mr. Tsorbatzoglou addressed to the participants and expressed his pleasure to be a part of this great event.

“I am honored to be here today in this wonderful university, in a great city, a country known for its chess and cultural traditions. Already, this tournament is one of the largest in the world. I know that RSSU Rector Mrs. Natalia Pochinok has plans to expand its scale, and therefore we are discussing the possibility of holding and European Championships next years during the festival", said Mr. Tsorbadzloglou.

After the opening ceremony the press conference took place, and then the friendly blitz match between the organizers and the guests of honor was held. The multiple European and Russian Champion and three-time Olympic Champion with the national team, RSSU graduate GM Valentina Gunina played an interesting game against the former World Champion Karpov which she eventually won, while the game between Mrs. Pochinok and the ECU Secretary General Mr. Tsorbadzloglou ended with the peaceful outcome.

5 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

More information at the Official Website

Photo source: official website

Liechtenstein Open 2015 – 33rd edition!

The 33rd International Chess Tournament Liechtenstein Open 2015 will take place from 8th to 16th May 2015 in Triesen/Liechtenstein, with the official venue Gemeindesaal Triesen.

The tournament is held under the Honory Patronage of H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein.

It consists of two tournaments: the main one and one for seniors. Both events will be played according to the Swiss System in 9 rounds, with time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move, starting from move one.

The Chief Arbiter will be FA Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Wanzek.

The organizers have prepared a rich prize fund – 11 000 CHF, along with the special prizes for the best woman, junior and senior, as well as for the best result by a player rated below ELO 2000, 1900, 1800 and 1700.

In Senior Open, the prize fund is 2800 CHF, with special prizes for the best lady and for the best 75-year-old player, as well as under ELO 2000, 1800 and 1600.

Regulations in English

Official Website

6 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

ECU Calendar 2015

The European Chess Union completed the calendar for 2015, with 16 ECU competitions.

Jerusalem, European Individual Chess Championship 2015 23-Feb-15 9-Mar-15 Israel

European Small Nations Team Chess Guerseney 18-Apr-15 26-Apr-15 Championship 2015

Eretria, 8-May- European Senior Chess Championship 2015 28-Apr-15 Greece 2015

European Individual Women's Chess Chakvi, 31-May- 18-May-15 Championship 2015 Georgia 15

European Individual Women's Rapid Chess Kutaisi, 31-May-15 3-Jun-15 Championship 2015 Georgia

Konya, European Schools Championship 2015 24-Jun-15 3-Jul-15 Turkey

Vienna, European Senior Team Championship 2015 12-Jul-15 20-Jul-15 Austria

Karpacz, European Youth Team Chess Championship 2015 13-Jul-15 19-Jul-15 Poland

Novi Sad, European Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships 31-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 Serbia

Kaunas, European Amateur Championship 2015 8-Aug-15 16-Aug-15 Lithuania

European Youth U8 – U18 Championship 2015 Porec, Croatia 20-Sep-15 1-Oct-15

Yerevan, European Universities Chess Championship 2015 06-Oct-15 10-Oct-15 Armenia

Skopje, European Club Cup 2015 17-Oct-15 25-Oct-15 FYROM

7 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

Skopje, European Club Cup for Women 2015 17-Oct-15 25-Oct-15 FYROM

Reykjavik, 22-Nov- European Team Chess Championship 2015 12-Nov-15 Iceland 15

Minsk, European Rapid and Blitz Championships 2015 17-Dec-15 20-Dec-15 Belarus

8 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

FUN ZONE During January, various national Championships took place, and for this edition of the Fun Zone, we present you 3 games from , Armenian and Belarus Championships for Men, and one game from Georgian Women’s Chess Championship 2015. The first position shows a nice victory of the new Azerbaijan Champion GM Rauf Mamedov against Nijat Abasov. White has the upper hand in this position, but after Black’s mistake 22... Rad8 can you find the right move for White? Very interesting game from the 5th round of the 75th Armenian Championship for Men between Karen Grigoryan and Tigran Kotanijan is shown on the second diagram. It was played Smith- Morra Gambit Accepted, a very sharp line with tactical opportunities for both sides. After 25 moves Black makes a blunder by playing 25…f5? Try to find a correct continuation for White.

The third position is from the game Harshkou vs Stupak from Belarus Championship. Black is winning here but can find the most attractive way to finish the game?

The 4th position is from the game Salome Melia against Nino Batsiashvili, in which the new Georgian Champion showed great strategic understanding and with accurate play scored a very important point.

9 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

The last White’s move was 22. Nb4 with the idea Nc6. Can you guess which plan was chosen by IM Batsiashvili?

Solutions from the NL December 2014:

Karjakin, Sergey (2770) vs. Lysyj, Igor (2686)

67th ch-RUS 2014 | RUS | Round 5.3 | 2 Dec 2014 | ECO: A30 | 0-1

38… Bxc6 39. dxc6 d5! 40. Rxc3 (40. Rf4 Qa7 41. Qf2 Qc7 42. Qg3 g5) bxc3 41. Qxc3 Qa7+ 42. Kg2 Qxa2+ 43. Kg1 Qa7+ 44. Kg2 d4 45. Qc2 Qa5 46. Bc4 Qc3 47. Qf2 d3 48. c7 d2 0-1

Galliamova, Alisa (2471) vs. Gunina, Valentina (2522) ch-RUS Superfinal w 2014 | Kazan RUS | Round 9 | 7 Dec 2014 | ECO: D10 | 0-1

34... Bxh2+! 35. Kh1 Bg3 36. Kg1Qh6 37. Rxf6! Qe3+ 38. Kh1 gxf6 39. Nxf6? (39. Bxf6+! Kg8 40. Bg5! Qxg5 41. Qxd3 Qh4+ 42. Kg1 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxg2+ 45. Kd1 Be5 46. c6) 39... Qh6+ 40. Nh5+ d4 41. Qxd3 Qxh5+ 42. Kg1 Qh2+ 43. Kf1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qxg2+ 45. Kd1 Qxb2 46. Rc1 Bf4 47. Rc4 Be3 48. Rc2 Qb1+ 49. Ke2 Ne6 50. Qf5 Nf4+ 51. Kf3 Qf1+ 52. Ke4 Qh1+ 53. Ke5 Qd5+ 54. Kf6 Nh5+ 0-1

Zvjaginsev, Vadim (2655) vs. Lysyj, Igor (2686)

67th ch-RUS 2014 | Kazan RUS | Round 7 | 5 Dec 2014 | ECO: A08 | 1-0

33. Ra6 Bc7 34. Rb1 Be5 35. Ra3 Bc4 36. Rxb8+ Bxb8 37. Ra8 1-0

Problem No. 1

1. Bb5!

They told about chess…

“You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what Chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s really a good idea and whether there are other better ideas”

Stanley Kubrick, American film director, screenwriter and producer.

10 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

UPCOMING EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

ECU EVENTS

EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP JERUSALEM 2015

European Individual Chess Championship will be held in Jerusalem – the capital of Israel, from February 23 (day of arrival) until March 9 (day of departure) 2015. The tournament will be held at the Jerusalem Ramada Hotel, which will also be its official accommodating hotel.

The 2015 European Championship is open to all players representing 54 chess federations in the European Chess Union. By the conclusion of this edition, 249 players from 31 countries confirmed their participation, among whom 113 GMs and 166 International title holders in total. The first seed is Russian GM (ELO 2735). GM Alexander Motylev (ELO 2665), the last year’s Champion will also compete in this event, as well as the former European Champions Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (ROU), (RUS), (RUS) and (UKR).

List of participants

The top 23 finishers will qualify to the prestigious world cup which is a higher qualifier in the world championship cycle.

The Championship will be played according to the Swiss System in 11 rounds, and the prize fund is EUR 120 000.

The organizing committee of the European individual championship welcomes the senior players and announces a special and unprecedented prize fund for the 50+ participants, who may compete for generous prizes of 10.000 Euros in total.

All chess fans be able to follow the tournament online with the live broadcast and commentary by GM Alon Greenfeld and GM Ronen Har-Zvi during all 11 rounds!

Official Website

11 NL JANUARY 2015 EUROPEAN CHESS UNION

EUROPEAN EVENTS

G.TRINGOV MEMORIAL 1 - 8 Plovdiv, Bulgaria Chess-Results 2015 February

GRENKE CHESS 2 - 9 Baden-Baden, Official Website CLASSIC 2015 February Germany

7 - 14 LIENZ OPEN 2015 Lienz, Austria Official Website February

13 - 20 GRAZ OPEN 2015 Graz, Austria Official Website February

ROCHEFORT FESTIVAL 21 - 27 Rochefort/France Official Website 2015 February

28 February - Cappelle la CAPPELLE OPEN 2015 Official Website 7 March Grande/France

12