Hamilton Chess Club

Hilton scored a creditable 4th =  with 5.5 out of a possible 9  in the recent South Island Champs held in Nelson, October 9th to 13th. His only losses were to the IMs that came first and second.

The always popular Bay of Plenty Rapid  will be held on Saturday, February 22nd, 2014. The tournament will be run in three groups and is suitable for players of all ability. An entry form can be found here

We will have 8 rounds of blitz next week — the first 4 at time control of 3 minutes plus 2 seconds a move, and then 4 games at 5 minutes plus 3 seconds a move. Visitors and guests are welcome to join in. Games start 7:20 sharp so dont be late.

After 10 rounds the final scores were Michael 7.5, Stefan 7, and Graham 6.5. The full crosstable is below:

Rounds 9 and 10 were from Kasparov vs Kramnik, 2000. London and from Anand vs Kramnik, 2008. Bonn, Germany
Although Garry Kasparov was not recognized as champion by FIDE, the rest of the chess world continued to acknowledged him as the best player. He had continued to dominate the chess tournaments while FIDE’s new system to select their champion, consisting of a single tournament of short knockout matches, offended the sensibilities of both players and fans. However, Kasparov had not played a match in 5 years, and believed that for his title to maintain its credibility, it was time to take on a new challenger. The Braingames organization was created by a group headed by Grandmaster Ray Keene specifically to organize a match for Kasparov. Whereas the champion’s challenger had since 1948 been the winner of a series of tournaments and matches, this time Kasparov’s opponent was simply picked by GM Keene. (more…)

In an effort to boost membership, and in recognition that this month the World Chess Championship will take place, Hamilton Chess Club is pleased to offer a significant discount off our usual membership subscription rate. The offer applies to both adult and junior memberships. To take up the offer you must never have previously been a financial member of the club, and must pay your membership fee before 1 December 2013. For the usual annual fee ($40 adult, $20 junior) you will be credited with 15 months membership, representing a 25% bonus over the usual rate.

By taking up this offer.

• You will have free access to the Hamilton Chess Centre on club nights
• You will receive reduced entry fees for events conducted by the Hamilton Chess Club – a saving to you of at least $5 per tournament!
• You can improve your chess skills.
• You will get a club rating that you can use as an incentive to advance
• Your membership allows the club to provide resources and willing people to run local events – without this, the club would not exist

Come along this Tuesday night and check us out.

Below is a link for livestream of game 1 on the world champs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH_5Ko7QCi8

With two rounds to go in our minitournament the lead is share equally by Michael and Stefan. Dont miss out on the final two rounds. The crosstable is appended below.

Game 8 was drawn from the 1978 World Chess Championship was played between challenger Viktor Korchnoi and champion Anatoly Karpov in Baguio City, Phillipines. The conditions of the match were changed for the first time since 1951: the 24 game format was replaced with an unlimited game format, with the first player to win 6 games being declared champion. The rematch clause for the Champion, which had been discarded since 1963, was brought back into effect. This was not the first match betwen Korchnoi and Karpov. In the 1974 candidates matches, after defeating Lev Polugaevsky and Boris Spassky in preliminary matches, Karpov beat Korchnoi in the 1974 candidates final by the close score of +3 -2 =19. Korchnoi had been one of the USSR’s top grandmasters for over 20 years. He had won the Soviet Championship on four occasions and had had reached the Candidates final twice. When Korchnoi dramatically defected from the USSR in 1976, he set the stage for one of the most bitterly contested matches in WCC history, filled with high political drama, tension, and accusations. The political ramifications of a Soviet defector winning the chess crown hung heavy on the match atmosphere. Numerous accusations were traded by the two camps. Korchnoi continously complained that he was being stared at by a member of Karpov’s team during play, a parapsychologist supposedly with hypnotic powers. Karpov objected to Korchnoi’s wearing of sunglasses which he said deflected light on his eyes. At one point in the match the players stopped shaking hands and all further communication stopped. Draws offers were conveyed through the arbiter. (more…)

“The Match of the Century”

The name Bobby Fischer, at least to Americans, is synonymous with chess. A prodigy in the 50s, a world class player in the 60s, the 70s saw Fischer at his pinnacle. He earned the right to challenge Boris Spassky in a title run without comparison, defeating Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen with perfect scores of 6-0, and ex-champion Petrosian 6½-2½. Now the stage was set, and the only thing standing between Fischer and Spassky was Fischer himself.  The match was mired in political overtones, during the height of the Cold War. The Soviet chess system had a monopoly on the title since 1948, and the expectations on Spassky were enormous. While Fischer studied chess virtually in seclusion, Spassky had the full resources of the USSR. Victor Baturinsky, head of Soviet Chess Sports Committee, said: “Basically, the Soviet leadership and the powers that be in sport, were interested in just one issue: how to stop Fischer from becoming World Champion.”  With the match set to begin in Reykjavik, Iceland, Fischer (who had not signed any documents confirming his participation) began to make a number of demands, including a percentage of television rights, a larger prize fund, and all manner of conditions covering everything from the lighting to the chair cushions. To satisfy Bobby’s demands of a larger prize fund, British chess promoter James Slater donated a dazzling $125,000 to be added to the prize fund. Fischer still needed more convincing by Bill Lombardy (Fischer’s last-minute choice as second), and one famously persuasive telephone call from Henry Kissinger. Mere hours before he would be forfeited, Fischer arrived in Iceland. (more…)

In an effort to boost membership, and in recognition that this month the World Chess Championship will take place, Hamilton Chess Club is pleased to offer a significant discount  off our usual membership subscription rate. The offer applies to both adult and junior memberships. To take up the offer you must never have previously been a financial member of the club, and must pay your membership fee before 1 December 2013. For the usual annual fee ($40 adult, $20 junior) you will be credited with 15 months membership, representing a 25% bonus over the usual rate.

By taking up this offer.

• You will have free access to the Hamilton Chess Centre on club nights
• You will receive reduced entry fees for events conducted by the Hamilton Chess Club – a saving to you of at least $5 per tournament!
• You can improve your chess skills.
• You will get a club rating that you can use as an incentive to advance
• Your membership allows the club to provide resources and willing people to run local events – without this, the club would not exist

Come along this Tuesday night and check us out.

MindSport Festivals and Competitions are held in Europe – and next February – Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula is championing the first of its kind in New Zealand. Along with serious competitors, the event will provide a fun environment for anyone who plays a sport of the mind to compete equally and fairly in the spirit of good will and sportsmanship. There will be a Street Party with local Bands on Friday evening 28th February 2014 – and a multi bar Quiz Night on Saturday 1st March 2014. Chess will be one of the competitive events. For further details the website is  http://mindsportsfestival.co.nz and a flyer is here

After 6 rounds of our 10 round tournament Michael is in the lead with an unbeaten 6. Competition is tight in the minor placings with a fourway tie for second, and then two players tied in third place. The crosstable follows. Four rounds to go …

Game 6

Petrosian vs Spassky 1969 Moscow. Boris Vasilievich Spassky, born January 30, 1937 was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. He is known as one of the greatest living chess players, and is the oldest living world champion. Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice lost in playoffs (1956, 1963), after tying for first place during the event proper. He was a World Chess Championship candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985).Spassky defeated Tigran Petrosian in 1969 to become World Champion, then lost the title in the Fischer–Spassky match in 1972. Spassky learned to play chess at the age of 5 on a train evacuating from Leningrad during World War II. He first drew wide attention in 1947 at age 10, when he defeated Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik in a simultaneous exhibition in Leningrad.  His early coach was Vladimir Zak, a respected master and trainer. During his youth, from the age of 10, Spassky often worked on chess for several hours a day with master-level coaches. He set records as the youngest Soviet player to achieve first category rank (age 10), candidate master rank (age 11), and Soviet Master rank (age 15). In 1952, at fifteen, Spassky scored 50 percent in the Soviet Championship semifinal at Riga, and placed second in the Leningrad Championship that same year, being highly praised by Botvinnik. Spassky qualified for the 1956 Candidates’ Tournament, held in Amsterdam, automatically gaining the grandmaster title, and was then the youngest to hold the title. Spassky finished ahead of Petrosian and a super-class field at Santa Monica 1966 (the Piatigorsky Cup), with 11½/18, half a point ahead of Bobby Fischer, as he overcame the American grandmaster’s challenge after Fischer had scored 3½/9 in the first cycle of the event. In 1968, he faced Geller again, this time at Sukhumi, and won by the same margin as in 1965 (5½–2½, +3 −0 =5) He next met Bent Larsen at Malmö, and again won by the score of 5½–2½ after winning the first three games. The final was against his Leningrad rival Korchnoi at Kiev, and Spassky triumphed (+4 −1 =5,  which earned him another match with Petrosian.  Spassky’s flexibility of style was the key to victory over Petrosian, by 12½–10½. The match took place in Moscow between April 14 and June 17, 1969. After 23 games, Boris Spassky was crowned the 10th World Chess Champion. The game score follows (more…)

Game 5 was drawn from Tal vs Botvinnik 1960 Moscow

No sooner did Mikhail Botvinnik regain his title, the chess world became entranced by charismatic young Latvian named Mikhail Tal. Tal won the 1958 interzonal tournament at Portoroz, then helped the Soviet Union to retain the Chess Olympiad; before going on to win the 1959 Candidates Tournament with 20 out of 28 points–a point and a half ahead of second place Paul Keres. Tal often sacrificed material in search for the initiative in chess. With such intuitive sacrifices, he created vast complications, and many masters found it impossible to solve all the problems he created over the board, though deeper post-game analysis found flaws in some of his conceptions. Although this playing style was scorned by ex-World Champion Vasily Smyslov as nothing more than “tricks”, Tal convincingly beat every notable grandmaster with his trademark aggression.Lev Khariton relates the electricity of the match: (more…)

The second game of the night was from a clash of the titans: Capablanca vs Alekhine 1927, Buenos Aires

From 1921 to 1927, Alexander Alekhine laboured to become José Raúl Capablanca’s logical challenger, winning or sharing first prize in 12 of 20 tournaments (he also won or shared six second prizes during this period). He also began a minute study of Capablanca’s games, searching for weaknesses.1 In the age of luminaries such as Rubinstein, Bogoljubow, and Nimzowitsch, Alekhine was not the only legitimate contender to the crown. He was, however, the only leading player able to secure the necessary finances to allow the match to take place. In 1927 the two giants met over the chessboard in Buenos Aires with the World Championship title at stake. Capablanca was, of course, a heavy favorite in this match. In addition to his own record, his heads-up record against Alekhine was far superior. They had met in four previous tournaments, and in each case Capablanca had placed higher. Their head-to-head record was an exceptional +5 -0 =7 for Capablanca. Grandmaster predictions were heavily in his favor. Rudolf Spielmann predicted that Alekhine would not win a single game, while the optimistic Bogolubov thought that he might perhaps win 2 games. In Argentina, from September 16 through November 29, 1927, the world witnessed the longest World Championship Match in the history of chess. The conditions for the match was the first to win 6 games. The star opening of this match was the Orthodox Defense to the Queen’s Gambit which appeared in every game but two. After a titanic struggle of 34 games, Alekhine achieved the impossible: he defeated Capablanca 6 to 3, and became the 4th World Chess Champion. The game score, and the crosstable for our own tournament so far, appears here (more…)

Rounds 3 and 4 saw an impressive turnout of 19 players, almost a record for a club night. Encouraging to see a lot of new Junior members coming along. First up was Lasker vs Capablanca, 1921 Havana. (game 10 of the actual tournament).

In 1911, José Raúl Capablanca first challenged Emanuel Lasker for the world championship. Lasker had this to say in his newspaper column:  Capablanca’s compatriots have a desire to see him contest the world’s championship. Today (February 28th) I received a letter from Senor Paredes of the Habana Chess Club, asking me to play with Capablanca in the Cuban city a match of ten games up, draws not to count. This proposition is not acceptable. In the present period of draw-making, such a match might last half a year and longer. I am, of course, deliberating upon my reply, but I do not think that I shall care to play in a semi-tropical climate more than a few games. Several months later, Dr. Lasker countered with a list of his own terms, but Capablanca disputed many of them, most notably a 2-wins victory requirement. And so, the negotations broke down over differences of the match conditions.  In the decade that followed, Capablanca took the chess world by storm, getting the best of nearly every top player of that period.  By 1920, Lasker recognized Capablanca’s prowess, and resigned the title to him, saying, “You have earned the title not by the formality of a challenge, but by your brilliant mastery.”  Capablanca, having felt robbed of his chance to win the title in the traditional fashion, convinced Lasker to play, but Lasker did so only on condition that his resignation be accepted, and he be regarded as the challenger. Lasker’s resignation was not widely recognized at the time, nor today, therefore this match is generally regarded as the one in which the title changed hands.  In Havana, from March 15 to April 28, 1921, the match took place. Whomever you regard as the challenger, the winner was Capablanca, who prevailed without a single loss, +4 -0 =10. Four games down, with at most 10 more to play, Lasker resigned the match prematurely after Game 14, citing ill health, and Capablanca became the third World Chess Champion. The games score, with notes by Capablanca, can be found here (more…)

Ex club member Peter Hulshof has made a started well in a tournament in the Netherlands. In a field of 77 that includes 33 titled players, Peter sits at number 22 after 3 (of 9) rounds. Clearly the practise he got on club nights here in Hamilton has payed off. You can access an English Language summary of the event to date here, and the official website here.

A Grandmaster died – after a few days, a close friend of his heard a voice; it was him!     “What’s it like, tell me the news?” he asked.     “What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?”     “Tell me the good news first.”      “Well, it’s really heaven here. There are tournaments and blitz sessions going on all the time and Morphy, Alekhine, Lasker, Tal, Capablanca, Botvinnik, they’re all here, and you can play them.”   “Fantastic!” the friend said, “and what is the bad news?”

“You have Black against Capablanca on Saturday.”

(The webmaster accepts no responsibility for the quality of jokes submitted for publication)

Club membership now stands at 28 after Matt Crombie  followed the lead of his son, Joel, and became a member. Matt and Joel are the first Father and Son pair to become members of the club. Matt has so far played 6 games eligible for rating for club purposes. He enters the ratings ladder with a rank of knight. With the pace that Juniors improve, it will be interesting to see how long it takes Joel to overtake his dad in the club rankings.