The Aldhid Road - E88 Sharjah - United Arab Emirates Phone: (+971) 06 5455888 214 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.shjchessacademy.com Instagram: shjchessacademy Twitter: shjchessacademy A new journey to be started A new promise to be fullfield A new page to be written SICA Bulletin ® April 2019 1 The newly established Sharjah International Chess Academy is S cientific entitled and committed to raise the level of chess training in United Arab Emirates to high standards. Experienced and professional coaches, armed with extra-ordinary teaching material, are ready to offer you a different and very effective approach in your chess world. I nterest The programs and the courses are based on a constructive curriculum, created by one of the world’s top coaches and authors (92 books published!), GM Efstratios Grivas. Each course takes 32 lessons to be C apacity fullfield and the Academy offers five different courses for any level! Above these courses, the Academy offers additional 8-hour Thematic courses and also training for the coaches or students with a higher level. Add the blitz training sessions and the chess events sessions and you have A ction the full picture of our offers! Finally, the Academy offers individual lessons by agreement. The Positive Aspect of Chess Origins & Myths of Chess There are many stories about the origins of chess, most Chess may be helpful in many ways of which are not true. There is some portion of truth in to a child or an adult. Some of these those myths, but often there is also a lot of imagination are: of the people that made them up. ● Decision Making One of the best stories is about a wise Brahman and ● Cultivating Logical Thinking his Maharaja, who lived in India. The Brahman was ● Development of Imagination called Sissa and by order of the Maharaja, designed a ● Personal Responsibility game similar to real battle. This game looked like a false ● Hard Work war and was played on a piece of wood, just like modern ● Constant Learning chessboards. ● Socialisation The Maharaja was so excited that he told the Brahman ● Memory Development and Exercise he could have anything he asked for. To the Maharaja's ● Concentration great astonishment, Sissa did not ask for gold, valuable stones or anything with great value in his kingdom. Sissa just wanted to have some rice, which was and still is part of the basic nutrition in the countries of Eastern Asia. All Sissa wanted was to be paid using the battle field on which the game he created is conducted. He asked for one grain of rice on the first square, two grains of rice on the second square, four grains on the third, eight on the fourth and so on constantly doubling the quantity. The Maharaja was very pleased; because he thought this way he would have a beautiful game at an exceptionally low cost. He told Sissa to go down to the palace store and get paid by his servants immediately. Then Sissa explained that this was not possible, because the total amount of rice grains needed to pay him was 18,446,744,073,709,551,615. This amount of rice did not exist, not only in his kingdom or the other kingdoms of India by that time, but not even in the whole world! Even if it had existed, the whole of the king’s riches would not be enough to buy that much rice. The story tells that the Maharaja did not know what to admire the most, Sissa's invention or his cleverness in being paid! He gave him a big farm and enough presents to live comfortably for the rest of his life. He, however, did not want to leave his Maharaja and stayed with him to advise him in times of trouble. The game made by Sissa was the ancestor of chess. After a few changes in the way the pieces move, which took whole centuries to be accepted, modern chess appeared around 1500, now with many millions of players and fans. Even if Sissa did not actually exist, the ideas of his story are still alive. SICA Bulletin ® April 2019 2 Sharjah Masters International Chess Championships Lahur Sissa by Tigran Petrosian Thiago Cruz 2007 Thiago FIDE World Champions - Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (Russian: Тигра́ н Варта́ нович Петрося́н; Armenian: Տիգրան Պետրոսյան; June 17, 1929 - August 13, 1984) was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed ‘Iron Tigran’ due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasised safety above all else. Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980). He won the World Championship in 1963 (against Mikhail Botvinnik), successfully defended it in 1966, against Boris Spassky and lost it to Spassky in 1969. Thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Championship Candidate in ten conse- cutive three-year cycles. He won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975). Petrosian is widely known for popularising chess in Armenia. The Armenian state recently printed a bank-note of 2.000 Drams, with ‘Iron Tigran’. SICA Bulletin ® April 2019 3 Highlights from the 3rd Sharjah Masters □ Dimakiling Oliver (2423) □ Le Quang Liem (2715) ■ Matlakov Maxim (2692) ■ Venkatesh M.R. (2517) 3rd Sharjah Masters 23.03.2019 3rd Sharjah Masters 24.03.2019 XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+l+-tr-mk( 8-+q+rtr-+( 7+-+-+-zpp' 7+-zp-+pvlk' 6p+N+-+q+& 6pzpnzp-+pzp& 5+-+P+p+-% 5+-+-sn-+-% 4-+-+p+-vl$ 4-+P+P+-+$ 3+Q+ntR-sN-# 3+-+-vLNsNP# 2PzP-vL-zPPzP" 2PzPQ+RzPP+" 1tR-+-+-mK-! 1+-+R+-mK-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy Black overlooked the power of the double White to play performed a great manoeuvre: attack, giving his opponent the chance to 21.Nd2! Nd7 22.Nb1! Nc5 23.Nc3 h5 play 22.Rxd3! exd3 23.Qb4 Qf6 24.Bc3 24.Nd5 and went on to win in 57 moves. 1-0 and win. 1-0 □ Gupta Abhijeet (2602) □ Nasanjargal Urtnasan (2503) ■ Sargissian Gabriel (2689) ■ Maghsoodloo Parham (2673) 3rd Sharjah Masters 26.03.2019 3rd Sharjah Masters 24.03.2019 XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8-+rtr-+-+( 8-+-+-+Q+( 7+-+k+-zp-' 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+p+-+-zp& 6-+L+K+-+& 5zp-+-+p+P% 5+-+p+-+-% 4Pvl-zP-+-+$ 4-+-mkp+-+$ 3+-+-vLKzP-# 3+-+n+-+-# 2-+R+-zP-+" 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-tR-+-+-! 1+-+-+q+-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy White to play took his chances in the ending Black to play, continued with 73...Nc5+?, by transforming his advantage after 39.d5! missing 73...Qh3+ 74.Ke7 Qh4+ 75.Kd6 cxd5 [39...c5 40.Bxc5 Ke8 41.Bd4, Qh2+ 76.Ke7 Qe5+, winning. The game winning] 40.Rxc8 Rxc8 41.Rxc8 Kxc8 ended in a draw by perpetual check after 42.Bd4! Kd7 43.Bxg7 Bd2 44.Ke2 Bc1 74.Ke7 Qf5 75.Qg1+ (92 moves) ½-½ 45.Bc3 1-0 SICA Bulletin ® April 2019 4 Chess as an Educational Sport For many years, chess, all over the world, taking it. In contrast to other sports, where has grown widely especially among the the responsibility for a bad result may easily youth. Many parents enroll their children to be accredited to others, in chess, where the chess clubs or chess classes at school which factor of luck is almost non-existent, full are a part of extra-curricular activities of responsibility for failure but, of course, for the Parents & Guardians Clubs. success too, belongs exclusively to the chess In some schools, chess is included in the player. It is an individual sport that teaches ‘flexible zone’ or even the school program. fair play as well as respecting the opponent It is now accepted that chess helps in with, as a typical example, the handshake developing character and children's before and after the game. thinking, however all the positive influences 5. Hard Work - chess proves that success of chess on man may not be yet known. in every aspect of life is gained only through There is a lot of evidence that shows chess hard work, patience and hard work. The is a very good and useful tool in children’s chess player learns to pursue recognition education and its contribution to improving only based on his knowledge and abilities. educational performance is significant. While, when at beginner level he may win But what exactly is chess? Some people by chance or thanks to an opponent's illegal say it is an art. Some say it is a science. move, he will soon understand that this kind Above all though, chess is a game. Like of approach will not be helpful against good every other game (e.g. football, basketball opponents. etc.) chess offers the participants feelings of 6. Constant Learning - mistakes are joy, fun, sportsmanship and creativity. always inevitable, but it is very important to However, the main difference from every learn from them and try to improve. The other sport is that it exercises creative chess player learns how to lose, as well. thinking at a much higher level. Loss is inevitable, but what is most Chess may be helpful in many ways to a important is how to handle it. child or an adult. Some of these are: Concerning the causes of a loss, as well as 1. Decision Making - based on reason, as the effort to improve, are factors that help in the sport's nature itself demands the chess the child's general maturity and a chess player to have a scientific approach in their player's in general. way of thinking. 7. Socialisation - as it gets children (but 2.