CT-192(1341) T he First Daily Chess Newspaper on the Net CT-192(1341) Saturday, 10 July 2004 Chess Quiz XXIV Open de Benasque Hoang Thanh Son – Kasimdzhanov Standings after 7 rounds: XIIIIIIIIY 1-10. Bruzon, Eljanov, Hracek, 8-+r+-trk+0{ Kogan, Burmakin, Nevednichy, Jaracz, 7+-+-+pzpp0 Movsziszian, Oratovsky and Gershon — 6 points, etc. 410 players, 9 rounds. 6-wq-+-+-+0 Official website 5zp-vlpzp-+-0 4P+-+n+-+0 3+P+-zPNzP-0 XXII Open de Andorra 2QvL-+-zP-zP0 1+-tR-+RmK-0 Standings after 7 rounds: xabcdefghy 1-2. Khenkin and Damljanovic – 6; 3-8. Fressinet, Delchev, Erenburg, Comas Fabrego, Hauchard and Chess News Strikovic – 5½, etc. 9 rounds, 133 players. Official site FIDE Championship esterday was a day off in 12th World Computer Chess Ch Tripoli. Today game 4 will be played, where Kasimdzhanov Standings after 7 rounds: Y 1. Junior — 5½ points; will pla y White. Official website 2. Shredder — 5 points; 3-8. Fritz, Falcon, ParSOS and Deep Sjeng — 4½ points. Open Championship of Paris Official website Standings after 6 rounds: 1-2. GMs Degraeve (2530) and Topalov and Stefanova in Libya Tregubov (2636) — 5 points, etc. Nine players are on 4½ points. Bulgarian website reports about chess 69 players, 9 rounds. Official website players' stay in Tripoli. They campaign for Bulgarian nurses arrested in Libya. Van Wely wins the Dutch Championship Chess to appear in Asian Games Despite losing in round 2, GM Loek Cricket and chess will make debut in van Wely again won the Dutch the Asian Games in 2006 in Doha, championship. Qatar, as an Indian website reported Final Standings: 1-2. Van Wely — 7½ out of 9; 2. I. Sokolov — 7; Belgian Championship 3. Tiviakov - 6; 4. L'Ami – 5; Standings after 7 rounds: 5. Stellwagen - 4½; 1-2. IMs Hovhanisian & Michiels – 5; 6-7. Van den Doel and Bosboom - 4; 3-5. GM Dgebuadze and IMs Claesen 9. Van der Wiel - 3½; and Abolianin - 4½, etc. 18 players. 9. Nijboer — 2; Official website 10. Visser — 1½. Official website This issue is prepared by GM Alexander Baburin; technical editor Graham Brown Subscription is 15 euro for 3 months. For further details please refer to http://www.chesstoday.net CT-192(1341) Page 1 of 5 Letters to the Editor lose goes straight to your opponent. by GM Alex Baburin Most players strive for solid openings in such situations and this is exactly One of our most active readers is GM what Michael Adams did. OK, it did Andras Adorjan from Hungary. The not work for him this time, but there choice of Petroff Defence by Michael isn't much wrong with the concept. Adams in game 2 of his match vs. Anand, Kramnik, Shirov, Morozevich Kasimdzhanov prompted his sharp and many others play the Petroff, so reaction: there much be something good about this opening! And if we look at chess "Dear Alex, history, Capablanca and Alekhine often chose super-solid lines, like the Who cares about quality in chess now? Orthodox variation of the GGD. Tastes differ! 1. You play Black and your second (!) move forces the opponent to have a slight, but lasting advantage. If you Player's Profile: survive, you repeat it – in fact you Rustam Kasimdzhanov play it again even if you deservedly lose! This mentality today represented 25-year old Rustam Kasimdzhanov at the highest level in chess is a from Uzbekistan is certainly the main shame, primitive and does not even hero of the FIDE World Championship pay off (see Kasimdzhanov-Adams, in Libya. On his way to the final he game 2.) To play the Petroff, Bogo- knocked out such great players as Indian and things like that regularly is Ivanchuk, Grischuk and Topalov. a sure sign of being too lazy to learn any of the active and dynamic – Yet, most chess fans know little about decent - openings for Black. There are him. Our reader Stephen Dunning a hell of a lot of them! Play the Caro- suggested: "Please give us some Kann, for instance: that is solid, but background about Rustam not timid! And you can even win Kasimdzhanov, the FIDE WCC without the opponent blundering a finalist." rook or something. Today I would like to do exactly that – 2. People play complicated variations before the FIDE World Championship like the Gruenfeld without having a in Moscow in 2001 KasparovChess clear idea of what is it all about - see correspondent Mark Glukhovsky Dutch Championship CT-1339. It does made an interesting interview with not take a genius to study the material Rustam Kasimdzhanov. I translated that is in every database and parts of that interview for Chess Today memorise. You can even analyse if readers. The whole interview is you don't find it too tiring. Or take a available in Russian online. Please book on the subject! You don't need bear in mind that the interview was the excellent ones - even mine would taken almost 3 years ago. do... After all I played and analysed it for almost 40 years... - Rustam, who was your 'main' coach? How is that, chess friends? Quality and - Pinchuk. We parted in 1997, after creativity does not matter anymore? that I worked with several players, but What would poor Misha Tal say seeing among them only GM Alexei Kuzmin this 'professionalism'? Or another was a professional coach. It was very (living!) true artist David Bronstein?" pleasant cooperation, but it was so hectic that I can't call is real training. That's it. Now I don't have a coach. I must disagree with Andras here. He knows much better than me that - Is Uzbekistan not interested in match play is different from supporting its leading players? tournament play – every point you This issue is prepared by GM Alexander Baburin; technical editor Graham Brown Subscription is 15 euro for 3 months. For further details please refer to http://www.chesstoday.net CT-192(1341) Page 2 of 5 - Have you ever seen a report from a - This doesn't sound too impressive? chess tournament in Uzbekistan? You Was that really enough? know why not? Because there are no - Maybe my main strength is the tournaments there! What kind of chess ability is to beat players rated 2400- life in Uzbekistan we can talk then. 2450 – I score close to 100% against them. I don't have the same - Why do you stay there then? confidence against stronger players. I - I was born there. I am citizen of must be the only player rated over Uzbekistan. It's not easy to change the 2700 who has not won a single game country where your parents vs. 2700+ player! When I played live, where people speak against Kasparov in Batumi, my hands your native language. At were shaking, I remember that. I did least it's not easy for me. prepare for that game, but when it Particularly as I got started I played like a child. married 4 months ago. - You are young and very - What country do successful, you you like most? should be very - Netherlands exited about your and Belgium. Not future. Spain – I don't - I am not. I am like the heat. very sceptical about it. - How do you Previously I communicate though that if I with people in reach 2650, Europe? everything would - Well, my be fine – with English is several closed almost as good tournaments a year, as my Russian. I etc. Now I don't think speak French reasonably well. My so. I only have an German is rudimental – I am a lazy invitation to Wijk aan Zee and that's guy. all. I am not sure chess players will be needed in a few years time at all. - Your favourite game? Nobody wants to organise a normal - In my first Bundesliga season I won match between Europe and Asia. Only a nice game vs. Jacob Heissler. But in rapid chess – the organisers are such games have become a rarity now saving on chess – you play for 3 days – stronger opponents don't allow such and good bye! Chess is suitable for play. On higher level one should show knockout format. Historically in chess good opening preparation and those succeeded who could show polished endgame technique. But for superior play for many rounds (say 13) me it's typical to get a winning – and that was right! position and then relax – the game has lost interest for me and I immediately - You are not the only one who thinks make some weak moves. this way. - Sure. Leko can't play well in - You are No. 11 in the FIDE rating knockouts, Ivanchuk gets knockout list. How did you achieve that? early. Even when we played with 2 - I played two seasons in Bundesliga hours for 40 moves, 1 hour for 20 with almost 100% result. Then I played moves and half an hour for the rest pf a strange match vs. GM Jonkman. Did the game, I did not like that format. you know that I played that match? But now with this crazy control it all No? But I played and won 5-1, gaining looks like roulette! I am not a very some points. Then I made +5 in deep player, but even I can see how Groningen and played in the Belgium the quality of play is getting lost with league. Then I played in the zonal this control. tournament in Uzbekistan. This issue is prepared by GM Alexander Baburin; technical editor Graham Brown Subscription is 15 euro for 3 months. For further details please refer to http://www.chesstoday.net CT-192(1341) Page 3 of 5 - Perhaps more confident players will XIIIIIIIIY get an advantage with faster time 8-+rwqr+k+0{ control.